


Ink Stains

by cadkitten



Category: Dir en grey
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Anal Sex, Character Death, Cumshot, Drugs, Exhibitionism, Explicit Language, F/M, Frottage, Hand Jobs, M/M, Masturbation, Multi, Mutual Masturbation, Oral Sex, Police, Rape, Strippers & Strip Clubs, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Violence, Voyeurism, Yakuza
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-03-10
Updated: 2012-08-15
Packaged: 2017-11-29 17:30:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 21
Words: 35,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/689584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cadkitten/pseuds/cadkitten
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kyo's a Yakuza, living in a world that is full of decay and destruction. The path he follows is more than just a dirty job... it's full out sinful.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Roll with it.  
> Beta Readers: kawaiikyo  
> Song[s]: "Recommencement" by J

Kyo's worn leather jacket hung from his shoulders, limp in the rain that poured from the sky, dripping from his blonde hair down onto the black fabric. His eyes were like obsidian marbles, hard and seemingly uncaring. Smoke drifted lazily up from the cigarette he held clenched between his lips. His hands were at his sides, one handing loosely from a pocket of faded black jeans, fingers curled around the wallet chain dangling there.

He didn't blink, he didn't move. In fact, he barely breathed and when he did it was obvious from the smoke that poured back out from his nostrils to cloud the air in front of his face for a moment, obscuring the intensity of his eyes from view for a few seconds.

He wore a torn black t-shirt beneath the open jacket, the fabric conforming to his muscles, showing off abs that anyone would pay to have, displaying pert nipples as the wind pushed the jacket back enough that the glow of the streetlamp above shone down on him. Everything about him screamed of both anger and sex. Danger radiated outward from him like a creeping black shadow. Even at five foot, two inches, he stood like a god.

Only a fool would dare to disrupt whatever vigil he held, standing here on a deserted street corner in the bad part of Tokyo. The buildings behind him seemed to crumble even as the seconds passed by. Dingy glass windowpanes lay broken on the rocky ground just beneath a long-faded concrete wall. The streetlamps flickered as if the bulbs were on the verge of giving out after a long, hard life. The chain links of the broken fence rattled uneasily in the darkness.

The wind shifted directions, bringing a swirl of dead weeds and trash swirling under the pale oval of light where Kyo had stood only seconds before. Now there only lay the remains of a still-smoldering cigarette and the faint, but distinctive, scent of cologne lingering in the air. The street lay deserted, abandoned, as if no one had ever been there. Even the dead tree branches swayed restlessly in the night.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyo's a Yakuza, living in a world that is full of decay and destruction. The path he follows is more than just a dirty job... it's full out sinful.

Kyo stood with his feet apart to provide him extra balance if he should need it, his muscles tensed in just the right ways to give chase if the idiot on his knees in front of him decided to run for it. His finger smoothed over the side of the barrel of his gun in an almost intimate way.

"Please... I didn't do it." A choked sob came from the stranger's mouth as his brown hair fell into his eyes, obscuring his vision and sticking in the shameful tears that slid down his pale cheeks. "Whatever you're after me for, I didn't do it!"

A grin edged onto Kyo's face and something that might have been close to a laugh resonated in his throat. To the ears of his catch, he probably sounded insane. Maybe, after all these years, he was. It wouldn't have been anything unusual for someone of his job to lose their hold on reality. But honestly, he thought he'd lost it years ago, long before this life, while he'd been safely trapped in another. "Is that so?"

The captive's breathing escalated and he nodded, still sobbing. "I swear. I have done nothing."

"And if that's the crime you've been accused of?" The grin stayed in place, even though his eyes still remained flat, uncaring, as he eased his finger further back on the trigger. The barrel swept over the side of the other's head to rest just where he knew it would best do its job when the time came to squeeze the trigger and let the bullet bury itself deep inside this man's brain.

The sobs increased and the hiss of urine being released sounded as the stench of it filled the air. Kyo grunted. "Pathetic... and guilty as charged." His nose wrinkled in disdain at the exact same moment that he pulled the trigger. A hollow thump was the only noise before the body in front of him crumpled to the ground.

He turned away, unscrewing the silencer from his gun and putting both pieces away in the case on the table. "Clean it up." It was nothing short of an order to the lackey who had been standing behind him and slightly to the left. The case snapped shut and he shouldered the strap. His boots made no sound at all on the concrete floor as he left the abandoned warehouse, walking out into the cold night.

He paused only long enough to light a cigarette and take a single satisfying drag, and then continued on his way. Three blocks later, his phone rang and he was quick to answer it. "What the fuck do you want?"

 _"Is it done?"_ A familiar voice crackled over the line, the voice of a boss he'd had for far too many years in his opinion.

"Isn't it always?" He hung up without any further conversation. Some called him a man of few words. He called himself a lone warrior. The oddity of it was simply that he was neither a warrior, nor alone. Never alone.

He paused beneath the light of a streetlamp and finished off his cigarette while the wind blew around him, lifting his blonde hair and swirling it around with the pulling currents. A certain static pulled at the air that he couldn't quite grasp at, but understood nonetheless.

The butt of his smoke was extinguished beneath the heel of his boot, grinding against the crumbling sidewalk. The wind changed directions and he stepped outside the pale ring of light, disappearing into the darkness from where he'd come.

The inky black seemed to call for him, to search for what it had both absorbed and lost in the same instant. A car rolled by, the teenagers inside all half-drunk and too stupid to feel the air of foreboding that covered this part of town. A pair of brown eyes watched them from the shadows... luckily for them they were only watching.


	3. Ink Stains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyo's a Yakuza, living in a world that is full of decay and destruction. The path he follows is more than just a dirty job... it's full out sinful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah... Kaoru's the cop. *smirks*  
> Beta Readers: kawaiikyo, smiley-brat, elyachan, Callie  
> Song[s]: "Dead Tree [Live]" by Dir en grey

The familiar lines of a bass beat filtered through stylish speakers nestled into hidden corners of the living room, the volume itself high enough to drown out anything from outside or inside the small flat. Two guitars joined in, one carrying the rhythm and the other weaving a fine line around the rest. The drums kept pace, lending atmosphere and beat.

Kaoru's dark brown eyes scanned the newspaper spread out on the glass coffee table before him. He was hunting, looking for pieces of information to tie a recent case together. His colleagues would have thought him mad to be looking where he was, but he knew better than tell them how he found evidence until it was all said and done.

He tended to drift, believing in things he maybe shouldn't and being somewhere in between the blurring lines of right and wrong. Sometimes his methods took him dangerously close to breaking laws, and always to breaking the unspoken ones. But the truth was, he was the only person getting squat done when it came to investigating suspected Yakuza killings. He'd already put four thugs behind bars. Granted, they were all low on the totem pole, but that didn't really matter. Justice was justice, no matter how the dish was served.

A small tattooed hand came out to pick up his black glasses, sliding them on his nose as he peered closer at an advertisement.

_Male puppy, blonde. Looking for someone to raisher. Found on street. Call at 945-1054 for more._

On first glance, the advertisement looked like a simple puppy for sale. But to Kaoru's eyes, it was full of errors, something off about the whole thing. _Raisher_ \- obviously meant to mean 'raise her' if you thought about it. Just a typo. Not to him, it wasn't. Raisher was the name of a street in the abandoned warehouse district a few blocks from where they'd found a man's body with a bullet in his head a few nights ago. Besides, the puppy was male and that would be 'raise him', not her. The phone number was a fake as well, obviously so since none of the numbers there started in 945. A time, then.

He picked up a pad of paper and scribbled: _Male blonde Raisher street. Will be killed between 9:45 and 10:54 at night._ Het set his pen down and glanced at the clock. It was eight.

Standing, he shrugged on his jacket and then ripped off the part of the newspaper holding the information. He stuffed both items into his pocket and left, his gun on his hip and his badge on the table. This was just reconnaissance. He wouldn't do anything just yet. He would watch, nothing more.

This was where the walking the line came in. One life was nothing to him if he could catch the bad guys later on because of the sacrifice. Besides, he knew as well as the next person that the scum dying at the hands of this latest rash of potential Yakuza related shootings had it coming anyway. Some part of him was tempted to purposely screw up and look the other way. Child rapists, drug dealers... all manner of criminals had been turning up dead. The cases courts couldn't prove but you knew in the depths of your heart were true and that those people deserved to rot in hell. It was only the fact that he hadn't completely crossed his lines that kept him walking on the side of the law, however frailly he was actually doing it.

Cold wind hit his face as he lifted his arm and hailed a taxi on the main road. He slid inside and gave an address two blocks from the potential hit zone, tugging his hood up around him and sinking down in the grimy seat. It smelled vaguely of urine, vomit, and alcohol beneath the fresher scent of cleaner. At least the guy tried to keep his vehicle clean. It was more than most cabbies did these days.

The ride was quiet. No music, no talking... just their breaths mingling in the confined space of the car. When they arrived, the driver murmured the amount and Kaoru shoved a wad of bills at him before getting out and waiting for him to leave. He stood, smoking a cigarette in the shadow of what used to be a bottling plant. He could hear the mutter of someone buying something off someone else from inside, but he paid it no mind. He wasn't here for a bust. Besides, that wasn't his area, anyway. He'd let someone know tomorrow... if he felt like it.

He shifted and his neck cracked. A yawn pulled its way from inside him as he snubbed out the butt and started walking. His eyes pierced the night, seeing maybe more than they should, but not stopping to think about it. He'd grown used to it, having something no one else had. It was just a tool, nothing more; nothing special.

Footsteps echoed off the half-crumbled buildings until he stopped a few down from where he suspected he was going. Quietly, he observed the faded blue paint, peeling from the cement walls. Half the old logo remained, proclaiming 'Respon' in what was once shining silver and now was only dingy grey. His eyes darkened and narrowed. There was no evident movement anywhere, but that meant nothing.

When he did move again, he moved with his knowledge, using the shadows and the air to his advantage. Slipping inside the building, he found safety in the form of the crumbling elevator shaft, the metal contraption below him and his seat steady and unnoticed. A single metal chair sat on the first floor, just within his range of seeing, alone and foreboding. His blood ran cold just seeing it; a sure sign it was not meant to be there.

He pushed his bleached blonde hair back from his eyes only to have some of the brunette chunks fall back in the way. With a gentle sigh, he let them stay. He needed a haircut.

It was verging on half past ten by the time two burly men in suits dragged in a skinny blonde man, shoving him into the chair and attaching him to it with what looked to be industrial strength duct tape. Fascinating, in Kaoru's opinion. He didn't move, simply watched. He had no intention of interfering, no matter what happened to that man.

It was ten forty six when a short blonde dressed in a black suit made his way in, feet not making any noise on the ground, even though his designer dress shoes should have clacked against the cement floor. The man came to a stop in front of the captive blonde and lit a cigarette, taking two drags before starting to pop the buttons on his jacket, revealing quickly that he was not wearing a shirt beneath the black material.

The coat slid off his shoulders and almost to the floor before one of the burly men snatched it up and folded it over his arm, standing back where he'd been as if he hadn't moved. Kaoru sat there, his jaw slightly slack as he stared at the short blonde. He was maybe five foot two inches tall, but his presence could be felt even from where the cop had perched himself. It rolled with power and authority, but also something black and dangerous. His body was littered with tattoos - a canvas of sorts - both arms full and what Kaoru thought might be a tiger stretching across his side and abdomen.

The cop thought of his own tattoos and what they had once symbolized... what they still did in some deep part of his heart. Curiosity drew him to wonder at the meaning of each of this man's: maybe nothing... maybe a lot more than he wanted to know. The blonde crouched and put out his cigarette, blowing the smoke in the captive's face, causing the other to cough and start sobbing. The smirk that covered the tattooed one's face was frightening in intent.

Kaoru bristled. There would be death here tonight, he was certain of that. It was written in the way the wind shifted, the way silence fell outside, even in the way the rhythm of his heart changed. Nature knew and so did he... and from the frightened look in the duct-taped blonde's eyes, he knew it as well.

The short male stood, motioning for the second of the two burly guys to open a case beside him. The click echoed from the walls as the latch was opened. Kaoru's eyes found an expensive gun and silencer inside, the model matching the one of the latest killings. He wasn't just on the right track; he was neck-deep in it. A slight shudder went through him. Why was it he had to be so good that he had already tracked down the whole network? There went the salvation of humanity, he supposed. No more of what he thought were somewhat justified murders in a long-dismissed piece of the city.

Or... he could keep his mouth shut and lead a wild goose chase for a while. Grey... shades of grey. It wasn't like seeing this was proof. He was purposely without a badge. This man still had a chance if he changed his patterns, if he threw Kaoru off next time. Some stupidly righteous part of Kaoru hoped he would.

The silencer was put on the gun and the gun pointed at the prisoner's head.

"I'm innocent! For the love of god, I swear to you! Whatever you think I did, I did nothing!" The blonde was sobbing, crying and pleading for his life. It put a bitter taste in Kaoru's mouth. If it were him in that chair, he'd either not be there or be staring at the blonde holding the gun in silence, going out like a fucking man. Pleading only made you weak. If death was certain, it should be taken in stride.

"They all say that." Smooth as silk, but laced with anger and a depth that was impossible to understand with just a first taste. Kaoru thought, if they could bottle that, sell it, it would be an expensive drug.

"But I mean it! I am!"

A dark chuckle and then the short blonde's face went hard and blank. "You all cry and beg for your life. But all you do is take what isn't yours every day of your life. You've had no life since the first time." He leaned close and Kaoru had to strain to hear the rest. "Since the first girl you attacked, ripped apart in a back alley, and left to fucking die, you lost your life. You gave it to the devil when you did that. And I've come to let him have you sooner than maybe intended."

The blonde stepped back, aimed, and fired. A dull thump echoed in the building.

"Kyo, Sir? Do we clean this one or leave him?"

Kyo... so that was the name of this man that Kaoru now understood he had been right about all along. Six months he'd been tracking his doings and tonight he saw everything he needed to know. It felt... almost wrong, to keep trying to bring him down. He closed his eyes, leaning his head back on the wall, still silent.

Kyo's eyes flashed up to where Kaoru was perched. Eyes almost black, he stared, seeming to take in every detail of Kaoru's body. "Leave him for the cops. They might want to know about this one. Seventeen girls before I stopped him." He knelt, putting the gun back in its case. "Put the information on the last two under his chair. The police don't know about them yet... but they will." The snaps clicked back into place, startling Kaoru into opening his eyes and looking down again.

The cop watched as Kyo shrugged on his suit jacket again, buttoned it up, picked up the weapon case, and left the building, the two brawny men trailing after him. He let out a soft sigh. He'd wait and then call it in anonymously a few hours from now. No one would know anything about what he knew... or so he thought.


	4. Ink Stains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyo's a Yakuza, living in a world that is full of decay and destruction. The path he follows is more than just a dirty job... it's full out sinful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And... Die's the stripper. *smirks*  
> Beta Readers: kawaiikyo, elyachan, Callie  
> Song[s]: "The Sinner In Me" by Depeche Mode

Grey smoke swirled into the air, the small nozzles on the stage misting the stage with a fake fog. The mist rolled out in a creeping cloud, drifting higher and thicker as the beat of the music throbbed, pulsing in the darkness of the club. Women in tight-fitting tops flitted around, taking drink orders, a few doing lap dances for a measly few bucks on the side.

A smooth voice slid across the speakers, just above the seduction of the music, introducing the next dancer to the stage. Static crackled in the song for a moment and then the throbbing beat resumed as the grey cloud seemed to part, a lone figure sliding out onto the polished black stage.

The dancer was a man, his lack of cleavage giving it away through the skin-tight leather top he was wearing. But all the same, both men and women stared at him with equal lust. He exuded something close to walking sex as he placed one platformed foot in front of the other, hips swaying as he made his way down the catwalk. One finger rested at his plush lips as he gently sucked the tip of it, the other hand trailed over his bare abdomen.

Red hair tumbled down his back, brighter than was natural, but not looking out of place against his fair skin. A gleam held in his eyes as he looked at each and every patron gathered around the stage in turn. As he came to the silver pole at the end of the stage he reached out, caressing it before sliding down into a crouch, a grin curving his lips before he slipped back up.

The beat of the club swelled and his hands pushed back up the pole ahead of his body before he wrapped his long legs around it and slid up to the top, slowly lowering himself down backwards. His hands touched the floor and he unwrapped his legs, spreading them and then finishing off in a slow, sensual back flip. He straightened only to slide to his knees in front of the man he'd deemed to be holding the largest wad of bills, crawling toward him, eyes locked as he licked his lips in an alluring manner.

He gripped the man's tie in his hands, tugging him closer until he was all but humping the air in between him and this guy, a look of lust covering his face, lips parted to let out the smallest of breathy gasps. The man tucked a couple thousand yen into the back of his red leather booty shorts and the stripper's eyes gleamed. He flicked a glance at his boss in the corner and when he received a short nod, he slid from the stage into the man's lap, grinding against him, feeling the man's hardness pressing against his ass.

The song kept his tempo as he rode the other, his own half-hard cock pressing against the other man. His tongue trailed over the guy's cheek as he ground down harder, using all the right moves. "Thousand more and I'll make you cum." His hips rocked teasingly.

Bills slid into his waistband and he instantly redoubled his efforts, hands trailing over this man's chest, hips moving enough to make his own hardness throb into full arousal. With a final twist, the man under him tensed and moaned, clutching the arms of his chair tight enough that the leather creaked. The scent of cum filled the air and the red-head pulled himself from the patron's lap, sliding back on stage with practiced ease.

He earned himself a few more bills off a few more guys, mostly flirting with them, letting one of the younger men run a hand over his leather-encased cock. Touching wasn't usually allowed, but sometimes when he sensed the person would be no threat, he'd let them anyway. The youth seemed to almost cum in his pants just from touching, and for the sheer hell of it, he leaned in, whispering in the guy's ear. "Do you remember my name?"

"Die... the DJ said it was Die," the kid all but gasped.

"Right." Die slid off the stage for a second time, settling himself in the kid's lap, glancing at his boss with a defiant look in his eyes. Sometimes he wanted something, no matter what he was getting for it. The kid stuffed the rest of his money into Die's shorts, a measly seven hundred yen. But it didn't matter to the red-head at the moment. The feel of the other's cock under him was more than enough to spur him on. His hips moved in an expert motion over the other, riding him as he pulled the kid's hands down to rest on his thighs.

The boy strained up against Die, helping only because he couldn't keep himself from it. He lowered his lips to the other's neck and sucked on the pale skin there, groaning against it as his aching length ground harshly down on the guy. A cry ripped from the kid's throat as he exploded in his pants and Die kept riding him until he was sure the kid was done. Only then did he lick his neck and slide off his lap, hand lightly caressing his cheek as the song ended and he headed for his boss, steps sure as he came to a stop in front of the man, the darkness concealing them as the next dancer took the stage.

"Daisuke. How many times have I warned you about pulling shit like that?" His boss sounded more aggravated than angry and Die used it to his advantage, tugging sweetly on his own hair.

"I'm so sorry. I just... I get horny and I can't help it." He glanced back at the kid who was hurrying toward the bathroom, a flush staining his cheeks. "He looks like a virgin and he came like one, too. I felt bad for him." He pouted, his lower lip sticking out in an almost irresistible fashion.

The older man sighed. "Why do I even keep you around? I should have had you killed years ago when you got yourself into trouble."

Die remembered, all too well, that night: when he'd been nothing but an innocent busboy at a high-end restaurant. He'd walked outside to throw out the trash just as his boss had shot one of the cooks in the head. Come to find it out, his boss was a Boss... one of the Yakuza lords of the city. He'd tried to go back inside, but he'd been caught by a couple of the goons the older man kept around. From there, he'd had a gun pressed to his temple and had damn near become collateral damage.

Instead, he had begged his way out of it, promised his service to the Boss in any way he saw fit. Much to Die's dismay at the time, he had been thrown into a Yakuza-owned strip club and forced to work the stage for his money and his life. He was still one of the few that rarely took his clothes off, usually just wearing something so tight it left little to the imagination and purposefully riling up the clients. To him, it was less degrading that way.

He smiled sweetly at the older man as he pulled free all the bills tucked in his shorts, tucking them into the guy's hand. "Because I earn you money... and I'm under contract."

"Boss!" Both of their heads jerked to stare into the inky blackness of the back corridor. Two bills were shoved back into Die's hand as his elder took off with an air that told Die to hightail it to the other end of the club. He slipped through the shadows, finding his way to the dressing rooms and plopping down on a hard plastic chair, opening his fist to find two thousand yen. A light sigh left his lips before he tucked the money safely into his drawer, locking it back.

Normally, he would have taken care of his erection, but he didn't really feel like it at the moment. His mind was riled up from the memories of four years ago and he didn't want to keep them going. Rather, he reached for his change of clothing and began to strip off.

One day... one day he'd figure out a way out of here... a way to redeem himself in the eyes of society. Conviction burned bright in his eyes. And that was a dangerous, dangerous thing.


	5. Ink Stains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyo's a Yakuza, living in a world that is full of decay and destruction. The path he follows is more than just a dirty job... it's full out sinful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A truce... of sorts.  
> Beta Readers: kawaiikyo, elyachan, witheringwhite  
> Song[s]: ["The Slaughter Begins" by Walls of Jericho](http://www.mediafire.com/?yzqtylmhkzy)

He watched, watched through the inky black of the night, his eyes piercingly cold. In a way, it bothered him. This rogue cop, investigating while his badge had been left behind. Or perhaps there was more to it than Kyo could even begin to fathom. It was like a plague on his mind, all of the whys finding their way into his every thought and dream.

That was why he stood here now, just outside Kaoru's little flat, watching through the parted curtains as the cop pored over the newspapers for the day. That explained how he'd known... and told that he'd know about tonight as well. This kill was of personal importance to him, but he'd let it go if it meant not getting his ass caught. He knew as well as the next man that the Boss would drop him at a moment's notice if he were found out.

A new method, another day... it was the only likely option left in the wake of it all. It left a bitter taste in his mouth. A rapist would walk free tonight because of this nosy cop. Four little girls, all of them under the age of six... all of them that the scruffy thirty-something man he was set to sink a bullet into had defiled. His jaw clenched and he straightened up from his place against the light pole at the end of Kaoru's driveway.

There was another way. If he could get him on his side... he'd have his very own ticket to retaining the position he was currently in. The question was if a man like Kaoru would see the good in it or if his cop instincts would overweigh it all and Kyo would go down tonight, standing on the steps of the flat.

Invariably, there was only one way to find out. His footsteps remained silent, unheard by anyone other than himself as he approached the pale white front door of the cop's home. Pausing, he lifted a hand and finally pushed the bell, listening to it ring out over the top of the already pounding music. The music quieted and he heard the other shuffling to the door. He could kill him now and walk away, but he knew he wouldn't. Even as lost in his own mind as he was, he wasn't that cold.

The door opened and instantly Kyo knew Kaoru was holding a gun behind the door, pointed right at him. He hitched back his own jacket, showing the weapon strapped to his hip. "Take it. I'm not here for you." A half truth, seeing as how he was there for Kaoru's help, just not for his life.

Kaoru did take the gun, patting him down and finding his pocketknife and the elegant dagger strapped to his ankle. Only then did he stand back enough to let Kyo into his home. It was dangerous and he knew it... but if the other had wanted him dead, he would have been already.

In some small way, Kyo was actually impressed at how thorough the cop was. It wouldn't save his life if Kyo chose to take it, simply because his best weapons were his hands, but at least the effort was there. A spark left that so much of their society had lost - the desire to live. Even Kyo held the desire, held it close and used it to keep him alive.

Licking his lips, he moved into Kaoru's living room, not waiting to be invited, not taking off his shoes. He sat exactly where Kaoru had been sitting, doing it on purpose as his gaze fixed on where he'd been standing for the past hour. "You should keep your blinds closed, Kaoru."

The words should have disturbed him, should have made him feel cold inside. But a lot of things that should have elicited certain responses from Kaoru, never had. He sat beside Kyo on the couch, nodding slightly. "You shouldn't stand outside someone's home for close to an hour and stare."

If he'd had any ability to be surprised left in his body, Kyo would have been. No one ever noticed him when he did such things, just overlooked him like he was nothing but the air that surrounded them all. Kaoru's perception was different... altered. He crossed his legs neatly, one over the other, draped at the knee. "Perhaps not."

"Why are you here?" Kaoru's voice wasn't cold, but it wasn't caring by any means. He had gone from the weary man going through the papers to eternal professional in a fraction of a second. In some way, he knew why Kyo was there and he dreaded it. But if it was his time, he wouldn't go without a fight.

"You already know. Just think about it... you're a smart man, Kaoru." He was deceptively calm, his posture relaxed, regardless of what he was truly feeling. It was an art that he'd perfected over the years, honing it out of necessity. If people in his line of work saw a weakness, they tended to go for it. Nerves, fear... worse, indecision... those got you killed. Knowing how to talk around something, to look at ease while you did it... that kept you alive another hour.

Kaoru's demeanor was less schooled, but superior than most that Kyo had ever dealt with. Surely he was better at being a cop than most all of the vast force. What confused the short blonde was why on earth Kaoru was even a part of it at all. He could have been so much more as an independent. "You can put the gun down. I'm not here to kill you."

The cop didn't even hesitate, placing his weapon on the glass table, within reach, but slightly further out of Kyo's than his own. He trusted his reflexes enough to get to it first if it came to it. "You saw me when I saw you." It was a simple fact... the only reason why Kyo would be sitting in his living room.

Kyo offered a slight nod. "I did, but that is beside the point. I want to know why you didn't stop me."

"I walk in the grey of life, Kyo." His eyes fell on the shorter man, burning into him with the depth of the meaning behind them. "You walk it slightly further into the black side than I do... but all the same, you walk it."

The smile that graced Kyo's lips was, for once, genuine. It would have shocked his lackeys and given his Boss a heart attack of the grandest scale. Kyo never smiled. In fact, he'd almost forgotten what it felt like to do it. "I do not walk in a straight line, my friend. I walk wherever I please." And he did. If it benefited him, he walked the path. If the grass on either side looked more to his liking, he'd stray toward it without a second thought.

"You've been killing on the side... killing what the courts don't catch." He reached for the paper and folded it so a single classified advertisement was at the top of the page, tossing it in Kyo's lap.

The blonde stared down at it, his eyes darkening slightly as he opened his mouth to speak. He didn't get far, Kaoru speaking over him.

"You'll miss your own appointment if you keep hanging out with me." Simple words with seemingly no undertone to them, but still not enough for Kyo to trust.

"I won't walk willingly into a trap. You know my ways, you've found me out. I was careful, but you are too observant." He set the paper aside, shaking his head. "It burns me to let him live another day... pedophile and child rapist. The courts couldn't find proof... but I know the truth. I always do." For a small moment, he looked purely enraged, but swallowed it back in the next instant, as if the look had never been there.

"Then go. I haven't told what I know. It might be a fine line, but I understand why you're doing it. If I were closer to your end of the board, I'd do it, too. Just... change your methods, Kyo. I can't keep tracking you and letting you slip through my fingers. People will notice." He pursed his lips and then stood, going to his window, his back to Kyo and his gun lying on the glass table between them. "And I don't want them to notice."

Kyo rose as well, ignoring the gun and walking to the entryway, hands in his pockets, head bowed. "What is the price of trust, Kaoru?"

"Death." He didn't even hesitate; he simply answered the first thing he thought. In his line and in Kyo's, they were both fool to trust anyone or anything, and he knew it. He'd turned his back to show his trust and it could have gotten him shot. Kyo had turned his, but Kaoru wasn't fool enough to believe that could ever result in the small blonde's death. Rather, it was a question of a potential trap in his case... a possible set-up and the lack of knowledge whether it really was or not.

"Now or later?" His voice held cool indifference, an acceptance that it would happen at some point, just wondering when. Despite a will to live, he wasn't blinded by it. Everyone died... everyone was dying one day at a time.

"Later," Kaoru whispered, his voice barely audible to even his own ears. The faint sounds of the music he'd turned down almost covered the single word. But Kyo caught it, nodding slightly as he collected his things from the table in the entryway, putting them back in place.

Kyo waited, almost expected Kaoru's presence in the hallway, but he never got it. The other remained at the window, staring out into the night, his arms loosely crossed over his middle. It was a pose of comfort, allowing emotions to seep out into his actions. The blonde left as silently as he'd come, not looking back.


	6. Ink Stains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyo's a Yakuza, living in a world that is full of decay and destruction. The path he follows is more than just a dirty job... it's full out sinful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta Readers: kawaiikyo, Callie, elyachan  
> Song[s]: "The Little Things Give You Away" by Linkin Park

Kaoru sat in his office, the dingy off-white walls and the faded pressboard desk giving the room an air that told of what all had transpired there over the years. Dirt gritted underfoot whenever someone moved and the chair squeaked as if it were dying every time Kaoru turned to reach for a new folder.

It had been three days since Kyo had met with him in his home and two days since he'd turned over his information, having claimed to have found the article far too late to stop what had happened. Kaoru's superiors had been grateful, accepting and proud of their top man for finding all of it out so fast. Months... they considered months to be fast. That alone was almost startling, achingly saddening in a way.

A file sat open on his desk, a case he had been told to close due to lack of evidence. As he stared down at the words scrawled across the pages, some of it in his own handwriting, he felt the righteous indignation boiling up inside him. The pain and cruelty of what had transpired within the bounds of this particular case damn near enraged him.

His chair shrieked again as he leaned back and ran his palms over his face, dragging them down harshly, his insides trembling. Two years and twenty days ago he'd been ordered to start seeing a shrink due to the nature of his job. Of course, he never told the man anything of use and never would. He gave pieces, bits... enough to let the guy think he knew Kaoru like he'd know his best friend in the entire world. The idiot had even recommended several times that Kaoru stop coming, thinking that he was 'just fine' and 'under no duress'.

But that was only what Kaoru had wanted him to think. It was anything but the truth. In many ways, he was a master of deception. No hesitation and no unjustified fear. The shrink wasn't a problem or a thing to fear. He was simply an obstacle, like a roller skate left on the stairs by a six year old kid. You looked down and you saw it for what it was - a hazard - and then you stepped around it or picked it up. Simple and efficient, depending on if you wanted the amusement of seeing the next person - the more unobservant one - to fall down the stairs while you watched from around the corner or if you wanted to be nice and save them the broken neck.

All things in life were purely in categories like that to Kaoru. They always had been, even in his childhood. His mother had deemed him a threat and his father had called him a monster on more than one occasion. In truth, they had likely been right. He was something different... something unexpected. His observant nature wasn't simply a matter of intelligence and his perception of humanity was more than it appeared to be. He knew it and they'd known it. Everyone else seemed to be beyond the capacity to understand that things changed... that life itself changed by the minute. Evolution in the most subtle of ways.

Kaoru assumed himself to be nature's way of testing things out, creating him to see if it was where life should go or not. And the very instant he'd set eyes on Kyo, he'd known that he was along the same path, walking the same lines, only a few steps off to the side; a variation on whatever new concept this was. The prospect alone left him both chilled an elated. The combination of that with his feeling that the blonde was doing society a service were the reasons he'd left him alone, the reasons why he'd told him to alter his ways and keep evading Kaoru's grasp.

The file on his desk taunted him, leered up at him, telling him that he too could be what Kyo was, that he could stop the injustice of the court systems. His eyes fluttered closed for a moment and he indulged, seeing the scene play out in his mind, the way he'd tear this monster apart for what he'd done. A shiver of pleasure ripped through his body as he let out a quiet gasp and then opened his eyes. A different fire burned there now and he knew what it meant... why he'd been handed this file and told to close the case.

His superiors knew. They knew Kyo had visited him and knew that he had let him leave. He turned to his computer and typed in the last few commands to save the files and close the case. Decisions swirled inside the walls of his mind as he picked up the file and slid it into his briefcase rather than into the shelf behind him. A moment later, he was pulling other folders from his cabinets, other cases that had been closed due to lack of evidence or a jury that let the guilty guy go.

He knew the instant he was caught, his life was over, possibly in the most brutal of ways. But he didn't care... couldn't bring himself to do so. He had always been one for justice, served up in the most agonizing fashion that the law would allow. In a way, it was his own superiors' faults that he was still standing in this office, that he was even still alive. They could arrange it; an accidental shooting or 'friendly fire' during a violent pickup. But he knew they wouldn't, his altered perception of life assuring him that he would get by with this. How much more, he couldn't tell, nor for how long. But it would be good while it lasted and he only had to do what was right for as long as he could.

Latching his briefcase, he turned for the door and left, slipping out at the end of his shift, just like he was supposed to. He could feel the eyes on him, the people watching that he knew would be and it only fed him, spurred him on as he left the building. The glass door slammed shut behind him with a finality that he recognized the instant it did. This was it; this was the end of his present and the beginning of his future. And just like every single step prior to this that Kaoru had ever made in his life, he felt confident in his decision, proud that he was acting on the path he considered right, and more than a little bit pleased.


	7. Ink Stains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyo's a Yakuza, living in a world that is full of decay and destruction. The path he follows is more than just a dirty job... it's full out sinful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta Readers: kawaiikyo, elyachan, witheringwhite  
> Song[s]: "How Fortunate The Man With None" by Dead Can Dance

It wasn't about justice. Hell, it wasn't even about terror. It was about something so much more base than all of that, something ancient and undeniable that lies beneath the surface of us all. Years cover it, lies destroy it and truth upholds it. Children... children feel it like the icy chill that races down their spine in the dead of the night, spill it like the screams from their mouths as a slimy hand closes around their ankle to pull them down, to pull them under.

For Kyo, it was that piece that he never lost. His truthfulness, no matter how much it stung, was the reason why he could cling to what humanity lost as it aged. He could see what others blocked out, follow the senses that adults discounted as things like paranoia and delusions. The solid truth of it was that those feelings were built into each person for a reason; a protection mechanism of sorts. Nothing short of a way to pick up on what can't always be seen, what can't always be heard.

As a child, Kyo learned to hone those senses, to never let them leave him, even for an instant. They saved him from the abuse of his parents, stole him away into the night when he should have been killed in a dark alley on the way home from a friend's house at the age of thirteen. By the time he'd hit sixteen, he was feared by those who stood in his path, no matter if they knew him or not. He stole right out from under the noses of watchful shopkeepers, sullied the names of everyone he could find and fuck into blindness, and carried himself with a young group of instigators. They followed him and he let them.

Times turned and he found himself cornered one night by a group that his senses told him he'd never win against. The Yakuza had tired of his antics, tired of this 'kid' stepping on their toes and doing things in a more outright manner than they themselves did. Fear had tingled through him, tingeing the air a morbid grey. Darkness settled heavily over the area, providing the perfect opportunity for him to execute the plan he'd found in just the span of a few seconds. A cloud slipped over the moon and when it had departed, all but one of the men lay dead or dying on the broken asphalt.

Kyo's slight form stood, drenched in crimson, the whites of his eyes gleaming in the mild light of the moon. The remaining man fled for his life, only to fall with a single flick of the young man's wrist. The cold steel pressed to his temple from behind didn't even make him flinch. Instead, he smiled. It was cold, acidic if one looked close enough. Two words slipped from his lips as the last man on the ground gave up his ghost and stilled in a pool of garbage and broken cinderblocks. "You win."

Two days later, an intricate dragon adorned his arm, marking him forever as one of the Yakuza. From there, it had only been a matter of jobs well done and time spent doing as he was told until he earned his freedom from the ranks. His own ties and devotions were forged without him even trying. People followed him like he was a saint... a god of sorts. And, in a way, maybe he was.

By the time he hit his mid twenties, he moved as he pleased, did as he wanted, and regarded the world as a playground of his making. If he didn't want someone playing in his sandbox, he took them down or moved them out, depending on the severity of their crimes. He had his sources, his ways to find what he needed to find and to see what he needed to see.

The addition of his latest foray into cleansing the life on this planet was simple, almost expected. Even when his Boss found out, Kyo knew he wouldn't be surprised. It was just a matter of how long he could play before he was cut off at the pass. The days passed by and the kills stacked up, those loyal to Kyo bringing in more information, new sets of targets to focus on... and sometimes even a person for him to play with.

What he never expected was for Kaoru - the rogue cop - to appear out of the shadows as if materializing from nothingness just after he'd shot a murderer in the head. He was crouched, placing his gun into his case when his guards fell. The first made almost no noise at all, but his body appeared inside Kyo's line of vision. By the time the second had fallen, Kyo had his gun pressed to Kaoru's temple and a knife to his throat. A simple knee to the other's back and he was on his knees, head bowed and pleas falling from his lips.

Those senses, the same ones Kyo always relied upon, told him he wasn't in any danger. His cold brown eyes studied the other man, the way he held his hands to the sides, showing a lack of weapons but careful in display that he was carrying his most lethal of weapons right there. The thought flitted through Kyo's mind that they were so similar in that. Those who needed a weapon, specialized in some object or other, were weak. Those who could use those weapons alongside the ones nature had given them... those were the true warriors in life.

Stepping back, he slid the gun into his belt and crossed his arms. "Get the fuck up, Kaoru."

Obediently, Kaoru slid to his feet, arms still out to the sides, showing his agility in the action. "I only intended to prove to you that I know what I'm doing... and to bring you the ones I can't get on my own."

A shadow of an emotion passed over Kyo's features. As soon as it was there, it was gone again and his features were neutral once more. "The ones?" The words were leading, drawing Kaoru in to telling him what he truly meant.

"The files on the people the courts couldn't catch." A smile slid across the older man's lips as he wet them with his tongue. "I see what you do and I knew I couldn't keep dancing. My supervisors know you visited me and they know I let you go."

"Then they know you're here." A statement, not a question.

"Do you see them?"

"No." An admission, maybe one that could get him killed... but a truth that had to be told.

"Then they're not here, simple as that."

"You were here and I didn't see you. Nothing is ever that simple, Kaoru." Bitterness crept into his voice.

"Maybe not. But tonight, it is." Kaoru's eyes gleamed brightly in the darkness. One of Kyo's guards moved, striking out at Kaoru. A moment later, the man lay on his side, a blank look in his eyes as death settled over him. Kaoru seemingly hadn't moved.

"What the hell did you just do to him?"

A smirk. "How are you so sure I did it?"

"Call it a gut feeling."

"You and I... we are of the same breed. Evolution in action, if you want to label it that way. We're just different branches. I'm certain of it." He shrugged slightly and then he was gone from Kyo's line of vision, circling behind the other so quietly, so hidden by the black of night, that it was as if he didn't exist. But he knew better, he knew that Kyo could feel him even if he couldn't see him. That was why Kyo had won and not ended up on the pavement with his two lackeys.

A moment later, a warm hand gripped his throat, a set of purely cruel eyes stared into his own. "You can't escape me, Kaoru."

"I wasn't trying to. Just making a point... one you already understand."

A thin fog danced upon the breeze, flowing through the broken warehouse, filtering in at waist level and slowly rising to engulf everything it could touch. Only two things stood in its path that it couldn't reach: a small tattooed blonde and his newest companion, a man he finally let see him smile as they separated. An unspoken arrangement formed, the bond stronger than anything the world had ever faced before.

Death danced on the air.


	8. Ink Stains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyo's a Yakuza, living in a world that is full of decay and destruction. The path he follows is more than just a dirty job... it's full out sinful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta Readers: elyachan, witheringwhite, kawaiikyo, Callie  
> Song[s]: "Ain't Afraid To Die" by Dir en grey

The sound of metal balls hitting steel trays filled the air, the sound so intense that the mind couldn't simply push it back into white noise. It was rather like living next to the airport, the airplanes coming in and leaving at just the right intervals that it was impossible to completely ignore them. The chimes and lights of various machines tinkled and twinkled, telling the other patrons that they could be next, that their winning streak was on its way if only they put in one more coin, one more bill.

Kyo's eyes cast an intense look of dislike over his surroundings as he weaved his way between the machines to his intended destination. A few moments later, he pushed open a set of glass doors and entered a small room, filled to the brim with smoke. Three green-matted tables were spaced across the area and at the center one stood a tall man, his blonde hair hanging just past his shoulders, the glasses perched upon his nose sliding down as he dealt out a new round of poker.

The Yakuza slid into a chair and tossed out a few bills just in time to be dealt into the hand. His intention here wasn't to gamble, rather it was to do as his Boss had asked and take in the money from that table tonight and give it back to the establishment. Kyo was watchful, he always had been, and that allowed him to count cards with the best of them. It was never made obvious though, because he purposely lost just enough to keep himself under the radar of those around him.

The dealer's eyes leveled on him and Kyo gave the slightest of nods as he was dealt his hand. The next four hours laid themselves out in a fashion that had the other players at the table either desperate to win back what they'd lost or pissed off enough to leave, someone new rotating into their position the instant they were up.

Kyo's eyes seemingly never left the cards, though in all honesty, he was watching those around him, eyeing them carefully to make sure he didn't piss one of them off to the point that he'd come after him. The resulting display would make it obvious who he was and he wasn't looking forward to that. Toshiya - the dealer - knew why he was there, but only because he'd been told to expect him for that purpose.

He and the tall blonde went back a few years, back to where he'd basically saved Toshiya's ass by getting him the job he currently had. Despite all looks, Kyo wasn't one to be an asshole about things of that nature. He only wanted to see justice done and if that meant by his own hand, then he'd deliver it as swiftly as he could. Beneath that, he really did have a kind soul.

Almost three years ago, he'd found Toshiya in an alleyway, just behind this very casino. He'd been beyond coherency, the amount of his blood smeared across the pavement a testament to how much agony he must have been in. Kyo had simply done what he always did, and paid attention to what his instincts told him. Moments later, the man that had attacked Toshiya was lying on the ground, his eyes glassy as he stared up into the face of death, all life drained from his body with a single movement from Kyo's hand.

At the hospital, he'd found out just how much it was going to cost to fix Toshiya up and that alone had sent the man damn near to his deathbed. Kyo had presented the solution of letting his Boss pay for it and Toshiya simply working off his debt. Despite all popular belief that the Yakuza were all bad men, they weren't. Even the Boss wasn't so bad once you got on his good side. If you owed them a hundred thousand yen, then you worked until you had paid them a hundred thousand yen. It was that simple. Contracts were held and honored and a lot of people walked away from a terrible situation a better person after dealing with the Yakuza in such a manner. The only contracts you never walked away from were the ones in which you sold your soul to become one of the Yakuza yourself - like Kyo. Or the kind when you'd seen something you shouldn't have. Those contracts ended in death and death alone.

That measly little fact hadn't bothered Kyo at the age of sixteen and it still didn't bother him now. He just wasn't one to let things eat away at him that didn't really matter. He held a position now where he could bring justice raining down upon those who the courts missed and he did it willingly.

But tonight, something hung over his head, something that hadn't ever been there before. He held the burden of someone else's life attached to his own now. Kaoru - his new partner and someone he had to do everything he could to hide from the watchful eyes of the Yakuza. He'd even killed his other lackey, just to keep the entire incident a few nights ago between only Kaoru and himself. He'd accepted four files and watched Kaoru retreat into the darkness.

When he'd dropped by the man's flat last night, he'd found it empty and a 'for sale' sign in the yard, tacky and done up in pungent neon colors; definitely not Kaoru's doing. But the air didn't feel like Kaoru hadn't left willingly, it didn't feel like death had been upon it there. He'd left with a heavy feeling in his gut and a new determination that Kaoru had meant everything he'd said.

As he turned in his chips, receiving a pocketful of cash in return, he felt a hand on his shoulder - warm and solid. It was a way that only Toshiya touched and he knew instantly that it was him. "What, Totchi?" He used the affectionate shortening of the other's name that he'd come to call him during the first month of Toshiya's recovery in which he'd actually lived with Kyo.

"You look upset. Need to talk?" Leave it to the tall blonde to think Kyo needed a therapy session.

All the same, Kyo's face softened the slightest bit. He shook his head. "No... I think I just need to work off some of my stress tonight is all." He wasn't usually so open, but with Toshiya, he knew he could be. They'd learned so much about one another during their month living together, that even by those few words, Toshiya knew exactly what Kyo meant and where he was going after this.

"Gonna go see that redhead again?" He was, of course, referring to Die - the hottest thing the attached strip club had to offer their patrons.

Kyo patted Toshiya's arm as he moved past the other and toward the back doors that linked the two establishments. "So what if I am?"

"Nothing. Just tell him hi for me." Toshiya caught Kyo's arm for a moment and leaned in close, murmuring into his ear the rest of what he had to say. "He's been really down the past few days. I'm worried about what he's going to try. I don't know... you have a way with people. Can you keep him out of trouble? He's a friend and I don't want to see him hurt."

Kyo tensed and stopped, listening and then sighing softly. "His contract isn't like yours, Totchi. He's like me, there's only one way out of it for either of us." _Death_ \- the word hung in the air between them without having to be spoken.

The look on the other's face was filled with sadness as he let go of Kyo's arm. "There has to be another way."

A certain coldness filtered across Kyo's eyes. "There isn't and you damn well know it, Totchi. Let it go." He blinked and his normal neutral look came back over his features. "But I'll talk to him, all the same."

Toshiya nodded slightly, turning back toward the tables, his break over and a new crowd waiting on him to deal them their hands. These days, he worked twelve hour shifts, trying to get his debt paid off faster. He looked worn out and felt significantly worse than he appeared. But the faster he got out of debt, the better off he'd be and he knew it.

Kyo slipped into the shadows and pushed out the double doors into the corridor that led to the strip joint. It smelled of urine and blood here and he quickened his steps to get out of there as quickly as possible. His shoes made no sound on the pavement, despite it being wet and gritty, and he seemed to almost disappear into the shadows that surrounded him. Even when he slipped into the club, no one looked up; no one seemed to notice that the door had swung open for a fraction of a second and then closed silently behind the small blonde.

He approached the Boss and silently slid the bills he'd collected tonight into the elder man's hand. He received a grunt of acknowledgement as he scanned the room, looking for Die. When he didn't find him, he put on the look he always had when he wanted to know something, no matter the importance of the information. "That redhead have the night off or something?" He made no secret of his sexual preferences and the Boss knew well enough that Kyo more often than not took Die to the VIP area when he was allowed.

The Boss shook his head. "He's with a customer in the back. Some guy paid fifty thousand just to be alone with him for twenty minutes."

The information chilled Kyo to the bone. There was only one thing that ever meant for a stripper and it was always nasty. Scum like that were the reason why Kyo would monopolize Die's time when he was here, preventing the redhead from more humiliation. Anything Die ever did for Kyo was purely the taller man wanting to do it, never Kyo asking for it.

He hid his disapproval very well behind his usual mask of indifference. He ordered a bottle of booze from the passing waitress and waited, his arms crossed and his face betraying nothing. It was the look of a well-trained Yakuza and it only drew the attention of those too stupid to realize you should never stare willingly at someone in their profession. While the Boss gave those types chilling looks, Kyo simply pinned them with his eyes, filled to the brim with truth. Nine times out of ten, they looked away from Kyo faster than the Boss.

"What is it in your eyes that they all fear so much?" It was obvious who the Boss was speaking to, but he didn't even look at Kyo as he spoke.

"The truth." Kyo moved to stand in front of the Boss and looked up at him, the very same unadulterated truth in his eyes as he stared up into those coal black orbs.

It took a few minutes, but the Boss finally looked away and shook his head. "Your skeletons are stacking up."

"Only if I forget to bury them... and we both know I never do."

The ghost of a smile passed over the Boss's lips. "You've had that very same look since I picked you up at the age of sixteen, Kyo."

The rarity of the other using his name would have shocked Kyo if he hadn't seen it coming a mile away. The mention of his adolescence had given it away. It was, perhaps, the reason why he'd yet to have been stopped for what he was doing. The old man was fond of him, looked at him as almost a son. And if one had to ask any of the other Yakuza, they would know that Kyo was next in line for the Boss's seat. What they didn't know was that Kyo didn't want it.

The waitress reappeared, her tits more out of her shirt than in, and handed Kyo his requested beer. He stared at her cleavage in distaste as he fingered the cool green glass of the bottle in a suggestive manner. The girl gave him a seething look as she took the single bill that Kyo held out to her after a moment. A smirk curved his features as she stomped off toward the bar.

"She likes you." Again, that almost fatherly nature was coming out in the Boss.

Kyo snorted. "I don't like her."

"That much is obvious."

They lapsed into silence and Kyo pretended to sip at the beer he held in his hands. In truth, he despised alcohol. The beer was actually for Die and he was fairly certain the Boss knew that, yet he'd never called Kyo on it.

About ten minutes later, a tall muscular man emerged from the VIP room, the door slamming shut behind him. Die didn't come out behind him and Kyo's eyes narrowed for a fraction of a second. He tugged out ten thousand yen, a trivial amount for him and nodded at the room. "Give me an hour alone with him... cameras off."

"As always." His word was as solid as steel. If there was one thing the Yakuza never did, it was sour a business venture. Even when it was Kyo's money involved, it was still business to both of them. If Kyo said no cameras, there would be no cameras. If he paid enough to keep Die the entire night, he would be his for the entire night. It was just how things worked in their universe.

Kyo slipped away almost silently, only the sound of the beer sloshing in the glass giving him away. A moment later he pushed into the VIP room and closed the door, locking the mechanism that only the Yakuza and the workers knew where to find. A static hum cut off a moment later and the little red lights on all the cameras turned off. The small blonde's eyes fell on Die and pain instantly shot through him for the other.

Die was covered in blood, hundreds of knife wounds decorating his torso, even in areas that patrons were told not to touch. He retched and semen spilled out onto the floor.

Kyo shuddered in disgust and fury, setting the beer down and turning on his foot. "Stay where you are, Die." He hit the latch and stormed back out, meeting the Boss's eyes for just a moment, fury boiling in his own, and then slid out the door after the man that had just left.

By the time he had the man against the wall in the dank passageway, there were four other Yakuza in it with him. He delivered the first two blows, immobilizing the guy and then stepped back, glancing at the other three men. "Make it fucking hurt. He ruined Boss's prize worker. He cost us money." He spat on the man's face, right in his eyes and shoved his way back into the club.

He didn't even look at the Boss as he went past him, the look he'd given and the plain fury in his eyes had told enough. The tapes would tell the rest. The VIP door slammed shut behind him and he engaged the lock once more, picking up the beer and heading for Die where he trembled on the floor.

Kyo dropped to his knees, pushing Die's red hair back from his face and held out the beer to him. "Die... it's me. It's Kyo."

Finally Die opened his eyes and stared up at Kyo. His long slim fingers grasped the bottle and brought it to his lips, sucking greedily from it until it was gone. He set it aside and pulled his legs up to his chest, smearing the blood on both. "He's going to kill me. I'll die because of what I let happen. I... I didn't mean to, I couldn't fight him, Kyo!" Panic surged into Die's voice more and more with every passing word.

The Yakuza slid his arms around Die, pulling him close, uncaring that his silk shirt was being ruined with blood from the stripper. "No, he won't. I'll see to it. I fed that guy to four of our best. He won't be nothin' but fish food by morning, I promise."

Die relaxed into Kyo's arms, resting his head on the other's shoulder. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry I can't give you what you paid for tonight, Kyo."

"Shh... you know I never ask anything of you."

"But you want it, all the same." Die's voice cracked and he clung to Kyo, his fingers tightening in the leather of the other's jacket.

"Die... do you know what I want right now?" Kyo's voice was almost deceptively calm.

"... No." Die's shook like a single leaf on a tree in the middle of a hurricane.

"To take you away from all of this." It wasn't that Kyo was in love; it wasn't even that he had a vested interest in Die's wellbeing. Rather, it was that the very same type of injustice he was fighting against had just occurred under the watch of the Yakuza. It burned him, rubbed him in all the wrong ways. And even as he spoke the words, he knew what trouble they were bound to get him into if he acted on them.

But maybe... maybe he could find a way to fix what had gone wrong here tonight. Kyo's eyes flashed with determination and anger. Die's filled with tears that he could no longer hold back.


	9. Ink Stains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyo's a Yakuza, living in a world that is full of decay and destruction. The path he follows is more than just a dirty job... it's full out sinful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta Readers: kawaiikyo, elyachan  
> Song[s]: "Sacrifice" by KAMELTOE KILLERS

The air in the small white room swirled with the heat of midday. Three men sat around a dingy metal table, each with a very different purpose from the others. The first was the chief of police, his deep brown hair hanging in unattractive chunks around his ruddy face. His purpose should have been clear, yet it wasn't.

"He needs to be taken care of." This came from the district advisor, a thin, frail-looking man with ginger hair.

"Kaoru is not a threat to anyone. I will vouch for him in any way you need me to." Kaoru's old partner, a man who had been transferred from another district years before and paired up with the other cop to learn the tricks of the trade. He'd been fresh from school at that point and his life had been somewhat aimless. Kaoru had provided direction and reason for the kid and he had begun to regard him as mentor and a sort of father figure. "He'd never do anything to harm society."

"Maybe not society, but what about us? The government and the law?" The chief's eyes narrowed as he spoke, staring hard at the kid while he spoke.

"You know what? Fuck you. If this is how you all react to him retiring, then I fucking quit." He pulled his badge from his hip and tossed it onto the table between the two men. His gun came next, caringly laid before him while he shook his head. "We've been in here four hours, asking the same fucking questions over and over. I feel like you're interrogating me and I don't like that at all. I did nothing wrong. Kaoru did nothing wrong. It's both of you and your superiors who can't get your heads far enough out of your asses to see that."

He turned away, yanking open the white metal door, stepping out into the hallway and heading for his office. Packing wasn't a problem, didn't even take him five minutes before he was on his way, his bag in one hand and his cell phone in the other. He stepped out the front doors, the glass slamming shut behind him as he dialed Kaoru's number.

This time when it went to voicemail, he left a message. "Kaoru, it's Shinya. Met with the chief and that nag of a district advisor we have. They seem to think you're a threat to the law and the government. They basically interrogated me today over where you are and what you're up to. Guess they don't like you retiring. Fucking pansy-asses if you ask me." He paused, crossing the street and tossing his bag into his car, sliding in and closing the door behind him. "Anyway, I quit. Can't deal with that shit without you around. You know where to find me if you want to talk."

He hung up and started the car, pulling out of the spot and making his way toward the outer rim of the city. He didn't regret leaving the force. Without Kaoru the entire place was run by idiots anyway as far as he could tell.

===

Night was falling by the time Kaoru had finished moving into his new apartment. He stood on the balcony in the semi-darkness, his new phone pressed to his ear as he listened to the messages from his old one. The first four he deleted with hardly a thought, not really caring about the contents of the messages. It was more the last one that caught and held his attention.

Shinya... the young man he'd taken under his wing and helped to strengthen everything that school had taught him. If there was anything Kaoru had known he'd miss after he'd retired in such a very impromptu fashion, it was the kid. The twenty-something blonde had always been the highlight of his days and a reason to drag himself into work when he didn't really feel like going.

He hung up the phone and leaned on the balcony, staring out across the city. Thoughts swarmed him, giving him the air of someone brooding over something rather heavily. It was only when the smell of cigarette smoke met his nostrils that he looked up.

Kyo stood on the other end of the small iron and concrete protrusion, his eyes on Kaoru as he took a long drag from the paper cylinder in his fingers. "You've got something big on your mind. Regretting leaving already?"

Kaoru snorted softly and shook his head. "No way. It was long past time that I move away from that life, just like the one before it." In some circumstances, it would have been giving away too much information for him to say what he had. But with Kyo, he'd learned already that shocking him simply didn't work. It was like he already knew everything before Kaoru ever spoke of it; bothersome in some respects and ultimately useful in others.

He retrieved his own cigarette and lit it, watching the flame from his lighter dance in the darkness before a gentle breeze extinguished it. "My old partner called. He quit today."

The railing creaked ominously as Kyo placed one boot on it, leaning over it to peer at the street so many stories below them. "Quit?"

"Yeah... guess the department thinks I'm some kind of liability." He let out a laugh that sounded flat. "One would think they'd have noticed that a long time ago."

The elegant line of Kyo's shoulders lifted and then fell. When he spoke again, smoke drifted up from his lips to dissipate in the air around them. "They probably did notice. It's just you were on their side before. Now it's unclear what you're doing. You've got them running scared, fearing the worst." His foot slid from the metal railing as he turned to fully look at Kaoru, a smirk dancing on his lips. "The best part is... they're right." He didn't say more, he didn't need to.

He dropped his cigarette into the ashtray by the sliding door, not even bothering to put it out. Once inside, he settled himself back on the couch, sitting on the edge of it, his legs spread, forearms resting on his knees as he looked over the files spread across the glass coffee table. After a few minutes, he snatched one up and stood, heading for the entryway. "Hey, Kaoru?"

The ex-cop poked his head back in from outside, still working on his own cigarette. "Yeah?"

Kyo pulled on his coat, checked to make sure all his weapons were in place, then picked up the silver case by the door, tucking the manila folder under his arm. He didn't look up, just went about his necessary business of getting ready to leave. "Call him if you think you need him or can use him." He paused, his hand on the doorknob, head bowed as he thought of his own plans. "You wouldn't be the only one needing someone enough to pull them from their former life."

It wasn't like him to be that open, but the more he worked with Kaoru, the closer he got to him. Their trust ran deeper than maybe it should have for two virtual strangers... deep enough that Kaoru had moved into the apartment next to Kyo. Kaoru knew what the other was, what his path had been and would remain. Kyo didn't play around and Kaoru liked that about him. It gave him comfort that someone else in life shared his conviction, his need for true justice, and it only made it better that he knew it wasn't some useless civilian, but someone who could actively make it al happen.

All the same, Kaoru remained silent, watching as the door clicked shut behind Kyo. He sighed softly and returned to the balcony and his cigarette. He'd think about it... think about how - if at all - he wanted Shinya involved.


	10. Ink Stains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The streets of Tokyo are filled with filth and decay. Even those who walk the righteous path have a certain difficulty remembering what is honestly the right thing to do. Deep inside the underbelly of the city a lone Yakuza works his way up the food chain and toward his final goal. Doing what's right is all that Kyo will ever focus on, regardless of whether or not that happens to be on the same side as the law wants it to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta Readers: kawaiikyo, elyachan  
> Song[s]: "The Slaughter Begins" by Walls Of Jericho

Maybe he should have expected it, but for some reason, he hadn't. When his phone began to ring, the vibration pushing it closer and closer to the edge of the dresser top, he at first tried to roll over and ignore it, pulling the covers over his head as if they could offer some form of protection to him. By the third time, he gave up, rolling back over and snatching it up from the polished wood surface and pushing the talk button. "What?" His voice disguised none of his annoyance.

 _"Hey, it's Kaoru. Sorry to call so late, but I had to make sure of a few things before calling you back."_ A hint of uncertainty hung in the older man's voice, just enough that Shinya couldn't help but pick up on it.

"I didn't call you for them, Kaoru. I called because I wanted to talk to you... because without you there, it was pointless to stay." He pulled himself upright, stretching and yawning, then leaning back against the headboard of his western-style bed. "I miss you."

Kaoru remained silent for perhaps longer than he should have, his heart beating faster than was necessary for such a phone call, telling him for maybe the millionth time that there was something else between him and Shinya... something more than what their professional relationship should have developed. _"I moved... and I... I have a new job."_ Maybe the hardest part of anything he had to tell him was this.

"Oh? So soon?" Idly, Shinya's fingers plucked at the covers that lay draped over his lower half.

 _"Yeah... it's... different... but the same as before."_ Enough of a hint, but nothing so incriminating as to deliver him into the arms of the authorities if they so desired him.

The smallest hint of a smile crossed the blonde's lips. "So like before in every way except one. I see." He'd known for a long time that when Kaoru saw justice being delivered by someone else, he'd allow it to happen until the very last minute. He'd been there time and again when Kaoru led them purposely in the wrong direction, giving the department a drug bust or something else instead of the intended target. Something about this last case they'd been on told Shinya not to ask too many questions.

When he was truthful with himself, he knew that honestly, he wanted to help Kaoru out in any way he could, no matter what the consequences would be for himself. "What can I do?"

_"Meet me. Tonight. I'll come get you."_

"Give me ten minutes." He didn't even wait, just hung up the phone, hauling his ass out of bed and heading for the bathroom, going through the motions like he would if it were light outside his bedroom window instead of dark. He was used to doing things at any hour, his job having always demanded that from him, so this wasn't at all unusual in his mind.

Eight minutes later, he stood by his door, waiting for the knock, knowing it would come. When it did, he peered out, making sure it was Kaoru and then slipping out, locking up behind himself and walking silently beside his old partner as they exited the building.

Two blocks later, Kaoru finally spoke to him. For the first time since he'd known the man, Shinya could hear Kaoru's voice waver just the slightest amount. "Like I said, I'm working on the same things... another way." And maybe it wasn't the _right_ way, but it was enough for him, enough to make him feel like he had the power to make the right decisions in his own two hands... even if he did share that power with Kyo, even if it was actually Kyo who was doing the delivering of the verdicts.

"The case... the reason you left... right?" Shinya thought perhaps he was making it too obvious, that maybe he was asking for too much, too fast. But when Kaoru nodded slightly, he just nodded in return. "How can I help? I mean that." He wasn't as frustrated with it all as Kaoru was, but he still felt as though some people in life had the right ideas and the police were required to interfere for stupid reasons. The people that had been dying in their last case were the same people who had made anger well in his chest each time they'd gotten less than they deserved from the courts.

Kaoru had thought about it long and hard, trying to decide what Shinya could do to best help them. "Go back... take your job back. They don't expect as much from you as they did from me. When you keep leading them down the wrong paths, they won't see anything except honest mistakes." He paused, turning to study Shinya. "Or pretend like you never knew me... like I don't exist and move on with your life." A certain sadness reflected deep inside his eyes at that statement.

Something between them gave the entire world pause, time slowing and stopping entirely for a fraction of a second. When the world moved again, Shinya stepped into Kaoru's personal space, one hand coming to rest on his cheek, the other on his shoulder, stroking gently. "I can't forget you, Kaoru. No matter what happens, I can't and I won't."

He fought it; he fought it like he would his own death. But in the end, he lost. The pull was simply too strong. Moving ever so slightly closer, Kaoru reached for Shinya, pulling him close, his lips brushing lightly over the younger man's own. He stayed there, his breathing heavy and his mind in turmoil. "Still stand by that?"

The night swirled around them, pulling at them in all the ways it possibly could, eating at their senses and turning things in ways maybe they wouldn't have gone had the daylight been touching them instead. Shinya didn't bother with words, finding them to be a waste in this situation, only moving to press his lips against Kaoru's, the pressure harder... more absolute. He had never wasted his time thinking on social conventions or what he thought his sexuality was. More, he followed his heart, letting it find his way through that portion of his life while he was so careful and thoughtful with the rest of it.

When they separated, he simply smiled at Kaoru, a gleam in his eyes that spoke volumes of what he wanted to happen here. "I'll do anything for you... as long as you do what you want with me." An open invitation and one that he knew Kaoru wouldn't ignore.

The older man studied the younger, knowing he was going to give in long before he actually made his decision to do so. Finally, he nodded and reached out, taking Shinya's hand in his own. "Then tonight, you belong to me... and tomorrow, you belong to them again."

===

Kyo had eyes everywhere and he knew very quickly that Kaoru had left his home and that he'd put in a call to his old partner. Those who delivered him the news seemed to expect him to be furious about it. Instead, all he did was nod at them, thanking them for the information and telling them to let Kaoru alone for the time being.

Kaoru had said once before that the cost of such trust was death and Kyo had agreed. The truth was that if he was going to meet an end, he would prefer it to be by the hands of someone he trusted... someone he could call a friend and confidant. That fact alone gave him reason to feel no fear of whatever it was that Kaoru was doing. Whether it was to further their purpose or to thwart him, he couldn't honestly bring himself to care.

He turned away from the window and back to what had been holding his attention before his phone had rung. The redhead from the club lay across his bed, rolled up in two comforters and still shaking, tears flowing down his cheeks. Die had had another bad day at work and Kyo had barely managed to arrive in time to keep him alive.

Somewhere inside himself, he knew he needed to do something about all of this... and soon. The only problem was figuring out what he could trade for Die to be his and his alone. The value would have to exceed that of the redhead's silence on what he'd seen that night so long ago.

Kyo sat on the edge of the bed, reaching out and letting his hand stroke slowly over Die's back, trying to soothe away the pain that the drugs he'd given him had barely taken the edge off of. Die had refused the stronger ones, not wanting to take anything that could be considered addictive and they'd settled on a small dose of a pain reliever rather than nothing at all.

Now... now it was just time to wait... and to think.

===

Kaoru's fingers slid over Shinya's body, his eyes raking over the pale flesh of the man he could now call his lover. Rolling over, he finished rolling the condom over his cock and motioned for Shinya to straddle his lap. "C'mon... please." Part of him hoped and prayed he wasn't asking for too much.

With a grace that shouldn't have been allowed in such a masculine body, the blonde moved to straddle Kaoru's lap, one slim hand reaching down to grasp his length, steadying it before he began to sink down onto him. He had to admit that it hurt, despite the almost half an hour Kaoru had spent preparing him for this. But he pressed forward, remembering instead the pain of a gunshot wound and realizing this was nothing in comparison.

The warmth of Shinya's body around his cock was nothing short of amazing to Kaoru. He'd never expected it to feel like this with him; so tight and hot. It made him want to move, to just let go and have his way with the other man in complete abandon.

Shinya began to move, raising himself up and then lowering back down, a small look of surprise on his face. In truth, he hadn't thought he'd enjoy it at all and was simply giving Kaoru what he'd known the man had wanted for so long... what the pull of their hearts had dictated they end up doing. But now... now that he was actually filled with Kaoru's thick heat, he couldn't help but feel the pleasure of it. His own cock jutted out from his body, heavy with the blood of arousal, his cheeks painted with it as well.

It didn't take much for Kaoru to lose what little control he'd had to begin with. Soon enough, his hands gripped Shinya's hips, holding him in place as he forced his body up from the bed, fucking him the way he so desperately needed to. Shinya's hands on his chest kept him enough in line to remember not to hurt the other man, to desperately try and make it feel better for him while doing what he needed and wanted at the same time.

When he grew too weak to keep going, to keep thrusting into that tight heat, he collapsed back against the bed, panting, hands tugging at Shinya's hips in a silent plea to continue. The blonde didn't even hesitate, immediately pushing himself down on Kaoru's cock and then lifting back up, setting the same pace his lover had been using just a moment before. Something jolted through him, intense pleasure that was almost pain and he cried out, shaking for a moment before shamelessly asking for what he needed. "Please, Kaoru... touch me."

Unable to deny anything Shinya might have wanted, Kaoru immediately reached for his lover's cock, his fingers curling around the rock hard shaft and starting to tug at it much the same way he would his own on a lonely night. He watched, watched the way Shinya's muscles flexed beneath his skin, the way the sweat shone across his pale body like raindrops on a god. And when Shinya came, his release spilling across Kaoru's chest, he thought it was the most alluring thing he'd ever seen in his entire life.

Shinya made no sound when he came, only holding his breath and trying desperately to keep moving over Kaoru, to keep pleasing him the way he had been all along. But Kaoru knew, he saw the struggle and felt the spasms from deep within his lover and took over once again, pushing toward his own end, thrusting hard and fast until he found it. His voice echoed off the walls of his apartment, the sound of his pleasure being shared with anyone who was listening as he emptied himself into the condom between him and Shinya.

===

Kyo's eyes cracked open ever so slightly. The sounds from Kaoru's apartment had woken him, but he couldn't find it in him to be anything other than amused. A small smirk danced on his lips as he checked to make sure Die was still asleep and then lay his head back down on his pillow, dozing back off almost immediately.


	11. Ink Stains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The streets of Tokyo are filled with filth and decay. Even those who walk the righteous path have a certain difficulty remembering what is honestly the right thing to do. Deep inside the underbelly of the city a lone Yakuza works his way up the food chain and toward his final goal. Doing what's right is all that Kyo will ever focus on, regardless of whether or not that happens to be on the same side as the law wants it to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta Readers: kawaiikyo, rapturpouspurple  
> Song[s]: "Sad Lisa" by 36 Crazyfists

Kyo stood silently, his cold eyes staring down at the mangled body at his feet. This one hadn’t been his doing. He hadn’t raised even a finger, hadn’t called upon anything to orchestrate this death. Rather, he had been led here, his senses pulling him to this spot, his feet stopping him inches from the corpse. His head tilted as he stared, giving him the appearance of someone curious as to what they were looking at. But he wasn’t curious for the reasons anyone else would be. He didn’t wonder who had done this, didn’t wonder who this was, didn’t even wonder how it was done. He knew all of that. It was like a game of Clue: Professor Plum in the kitchen with a candlestick. Only in this case, the answers were far more ominous than that.

He shifted, head tilting the other way, eyelids fluttering closed for a fraction of a second. One hand lifted from his side, pausing completely at the perpendicular to his body. “Come,” he muttered.

The darkness surged and fragile fingers gripped his own. Kyo’s eyes flicked to the side, his head not turning at all. A woman stood at his side, her form a transparent white. He sighed, shaking his head a little, fingers closing around those of the woman. “Talk to me.” The words sounded clear in the crisp pre-dawn air.

An eerie sound… almost that of a lone fog horn sounded through the air, though it was far too low to be such a thing. The sound of tinkling laughter followed it and then the sound of something shattering.

Kyo’s head nodded once and his hand released the pale one at his side. “Go.” The command caused the figure to bow, her head dipping and then body breaking into thousands of pieces, floating away as they paled.

Turning, Kyo walked away from the body, his hands moving to slip into the pockets of his faded black jeans. Blonde hair obscured his face as he walked, his steps pulling him deeper into the forest, further from his home and the city behind him. “Where are you taking me?” he asked quietly. Somewhere a bird called out and nearby the bushes rustled as some creature moved restlessly.

Finally, he stopped, his eyes focusing on the ground where he’d paused at. Something didn’t feel right here, but he couldn’t pinpoint what. Again his hand came out to his side and his eyelids fluttered. “Show me.”

The earth parted, dirt moving itself away, leaves scattering across the ground around the area that was opening. The pale bones of a child lay before him, the remains of a plaid nightgown clinging to her form. Kyo’s blood ran cold in his veins, his eyes narrowing as he knelt, holding out both arms over the hole in the ground. “Come,” he whispered, voice tender in a fashion that wouldn’t have been found anywhere else.

Coldness engulfed him, a long wail was heard pitching into the air of the forest. Kyo’s breath stilled and then continued again as if he’d never stopped it. Tenderly, he embraced the small white figure, fingers stroking through the white hair, each strand seeming to stick to his fingers like honey from a jar. “Tell me.” His voice held the same quality as before, that of a tender parent.

Another wail tinged the air and the look on his face hardened even more. Red glinted in his eyes as the cries continued. His fingers never stopped moving, never stopped the gentle caresses. Once the child had silenced, he stood, letting her go and stepping back. His eyes met hers. “Go.” This time his voice held a command.

The figure wailed again, holding out her slender arms towards him. Kyo crossed his arms over his chest and gave a hard look. “Go. You are not meant for this world any longer.” A soft wail of pain met his ears and he shook his head. “Leave.” Almost reluctantly, the girl turned away, walking away from her body and picking her way into the dark forest.

Kyo’s eyes narrowed and he knelt again, drawing an ornate dagger from his ankle, swiftly reaching into the hole and drawing a symbol lightly over the chest of the girl’s body. A startled cry echoed in the forest. He raised his eyes, watching as the girl’s ghost broke into tiny pieces and disappeared. Nodding, he put his dagger away and got back to his feet. “Blessed be.” With a wave of his hand, the earth swallowed the girl’s body back up, everything settling as it had been before.

Taking a deep breath, Kyo closed his eyes again, holding both of his arms out to the sides. “Find her,” he encouraged. “Take me to her.”

The air swirled around him, the darkness deepening and then the world contorting around him. When the darkness eased, he was standing on the doorstep of a small home on the outskirts of the city. Inside he could hear screaming, the sound of a woman’s voice raised in anger and then the pleas of a male child for the woman to stop.

He didn’t hesitate. He reached for the door and opened it, his hand pulling his gun free from the back of his pants and thumb clicking the safety off as he crept through the house. The sound of a door slamming made him pause as he eased back into the shadows, using them to cloak his presence. The child was sobbing in the other room and the woman came down the hall, brushing inches from him and not even pausing.

Kyo stepped out, one hand cupping the other as he aimed and then fired once. The woman crumpled and Kyo stood, waiting to feel death take her over. The sickening feeling of loss of life filled the room and he nodded once, stepping around the body and making his way back out the door. He closed it behind him, turning the safety back on and tucking the gun back into his jeans.

He stepped into the shadows and closed his eyes. The world swirled around him, concealing him from prying eyes. The trees on the street swayed and rustled with unease.

 **To Be Continued…**  
Comments: If it doesn't make sense where this came from, just look back at the previous chapters for the hints. Kyo and Kaoru have both been being implied to be 'a step forward in evolution' (Kaoru even says it at one point, speaking of how they're nature's test) and Kyo's been sensing changes in the air, uses the shadows like a cloak and it was actually stated that he's 'never alone' (like an implication that the creatures of the night are lurking around him). Hopefully that makes some amount of sense. I think it's more an issue of it having been so long since I published the other chapters than anything though. So... let me know... were you confused? If you read the other chapters first, does it make sense to more than just me? Was the transition to it too jumpy or abrupt? It was supposed to be a surprise, but... well... sometimes surprises suck, lol.  



	12. Ink Stains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The streets of Tokyo are filled with filth and decay. Even those who walk the righteous path have a certain difficulty remembering what is honestly the right thing to do. Deep inside the underbelly of the city a lone Yakuza works his way up the food chain and toward his final goal. Doing what's right is all that Kyo will ever focus on, regardless of whether or not that happens to be on the same side as the law wants it to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When Kaoru refers to 'National', he's referring to the Japanese National Police Agency.  
> Beta Readers: kawaiikyo, rapturouspurple, elyachan  
> Song[s]: "born IQUAL pain" by Calmando Qual

Dawn came, pulling orange and red hues across the sky like streaks from a child's fingertips coated in paint across a canvas of pale blue. A light breeze rustled the trees on either side of the quiet street, a gentle fluttering no louder than a soaring hawk's wings. The sun slowly crept higher, as if drawn by some invisible string over the buildings.

A low hum began near the ground level, slowly rising up, as if the sound were floating on the breeze itself. Waves of coldness pushed through the low-income community, each tendril creeping into the windows and doorways of the houses along the street. The world flashed brilliantly for a moment, first darker and then incredibly lighter. There was silence and then a sound that blew the eardrums of every living creature within range, the screech high enough to shatter the glass of every window on the street.

Tinkling glass filled the air, raining down upon the ground from where it had been blown. Doors slammed open and people started screaming. The clouds swirled and one bright light shot down from the sky above. Once it had gone, all it left was a lone figure in the middle of the paved walkway. The figure's hands parted wide and then came together with incredible force, a clap of epic proportions. Simultaneously, every building on the street exploded, pieces of wood, plaster and metal flying in every direction possible. A moment later the only sound was that of the falling pieces of debris. The figure raised one arm and brought it down. Before it was even mid-torso, he was gone, vanished into thin air.

\----------

Shinya stood just on the crime scene side of the yellow police tape, his forehead creased with an intense look of confusion. His dark eyes scanned the scene before him for the millionth time in the past twenty minutes. Hundreds of people on the neighboring blocks had called this in to the cops, some of them hysterical and some of them seeming almost eerily calm. Within minutes almost half the force had ended up crowding the streets around the area, everyone trying to offer their twenty yen on why the block had been blown to bits, not a single survivor in the wreckage. Not even any animals had escaped the massacre and as far as Shinya could tell, even the insects had died.

He knelt next to a peculiar burn mark in the center of the pavement and narrowed his eyes at it. It was out of place... a perplexity beside all the evidence revealed to his eyes. Standing back up, he pulled his cell phone free of his pocket, snapped a picture of the burn mark and then another of the remains of the block. Quickly, he sent the two pictures to Kaoru, his frown deepening even more as he wrote out the text to go along with it. _'Any ideas? The whole block is dead. Even the bugs.'_

\----------

Kaoru's phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it free, watching as the small device transferred the data and finally loaded the first image. He squinted at the first picture and then scrolled down to the second. As soon as his eyes found the message at the bottom, he rushed for the door. Pushing his feet into his shoes, he left his apartment behind, striding down the hall to Kyo's door and banging insistently.

The ex-cop expected the small blonde to open the door, but instead he was presented with a slim redhead who blinked at him rather tiredly. "May I help you?"

Kaoru studied the other man for a moment and then tried to peer inside the door. "I'm looking for Kyo. It's important."

The redhead shook his head a little, wisps of his hair falling into his face as he did. "He's sleeping. May I give him a message when he wakes up?"

A huff of exasperation left Kaoru's lungs as he sized up the man in front of him. "What? Are you his keeper or something? I need to talk to him _now_ , not later." His eyes darkened a fraction of a shade, almost as if in warning.

"No, I am not. Simply worried for his wellbeing is all." The other male shook his head again and pushed the door almost closed before Kaoru's foot came between the door and the frame, stopping him. "Look, I'm going to see if he will even wake up. Just... wait out here." He pushed harder on the door and glared something awful until Kaoru's foot was removed.

Die closed and locked the door, then rushed to the bedroom where he found the small blonde. Kyo was lying across the bed, completely spread eagle, the covers wound around his fit frame. Die knelt next to him and hesitantly reached out, pushing Kyo's bangs back from his forehead. The next moment, he was under Kyo, his arms pinned and the yakuza's eyes were narrowed on him.

"What have I told you about waking me like that?" Kyo's voice was oddly quiet, more reserved than it usually was with Die.

The stripper squirmed under him and let out a soft mewl. "Not to... I'm sorry, Kyo... but... there's a man to see you." He flinched away, closing his eyes and waiting, as if ready to be struck. "He insisted it was urgent."

Kyo sighed, pushing himself off of Die and grabbing a robe. "Half blonde and half brown hair? Glasses?"

"Yeah," came Die's soft reply.

Kyo nodded, wrapping the red silk around his body, tying the sash as he moved silently into the living room and then to the door. He peered out and then pulled the door open, only looking at Kaoru as an invitation.

Immediately the ex-cop entered the apartment, his cell phone now in his hand as he shoved it at Kyo.

Kyo moved back just enough to avoid being hit by Kaoru's hand. He blinked placidly. "In a hurry today, Kaoru?" His fingers pushed the door closed again, the latch clicking shut. Slowly, he headed to the living room and settled down on the soft brown suede of his couch.

Die came out of the bedroom, hovering beside Kyo's seat for a moment, his eyes on the smaller man, silently asking him what he should do.

Kyo's fingertips brushed the seat beside him and then he held out his arm, eyes on Die. When the other came to sit by his side, he pulled him close, fingers dancing over his exposed shoulder before settling. His eyes went back to Kaoru. "Now... what did you want?"

Kaoru stared between the two men, his gaze questioning when focused on Die and almost accusing when on Kyo.

"Ignore him. He's not going to be a problem. Speak." Kyo's hand extended, fingertips gesturing in a manner to imply he wanted the phone now.

Kaoru sighed, placing the phone into the other's grasp and then sitting on the very edge of the matching recliner just across from Kyo's seat. "Look at that message... all of it."

Kyo's eyes scanned the message and then the pictures as well as who it was from. He sighed, tossing the phone back to Kaoru and shaking his head. 'It never ends... does it? No matter what we do... it never ends."

The stripper's eyes flicked between the pair, curious. Yet he remained silent, knowing it was not his place to speak up in this case. It was his job to be at Kyo's side right then... like he was being paid to do. Reminded of that, he shifted, arm curling around Kyo's waist and one hand slipping inside the yakuza's robes, fingers brushing over the taut flesh of Kyo's abdomen.

Kyo grunted, allowing it, even shifting, his legs spreading slightly. For the past four nights, he'd paid a very large sum of money in order to have the redhead entirely to himself. His time ran out tonight at ten, but he didn't particularly mind. Die was healed now... obviously, since he was groping around on the blonde's body.

Kaoru watched the display, part of him turned on and the other part a little disgusted. Seriously? Right in front of him? And the way this guy was acting, it was almost clear that Kyo had _paid_ for his company. Pathetic if you asked him. He moved his eyes away from the scene and to the wall behind Kyo's head. "You should know it doesn't end, Kyo." He shook his head and gave a bitter laugh. "In our work, it never ends... only stacks up higher and higher, like shit in a cow barn."

The blonde gave a halfhearted sound and shrugged. "As if I haven't done enough in the past four days... some disaster comes along to ruin the only free day I have." He sounded amazingly bitter and it became almost startlingly obvious to Kaoru that Kyo wasn't always the emotionless man he'd seen execute several men.

Die moved more, his hand slipping down further into Kyo's robes as discreetly as possible. His fingertips slipped around Kyo's flaccid length and he palmed the flesh, slowly tugging him into arousal.

Kyo showed no reaction outwardly to the advances, though his body did begin to respond. He grew hard in Die's hand, to the point he was fully erect and throbbing. It wasn't until Die's thumb swiped over the tip that he displayed anything other than neutrality. His hips shifted up just the smallest amount, not even enough to do anything, but enough to let Die know he was enjoying what he was getting.

The sound of the recliner creaking forced Kyo's eyes back on Kaoru as he stood. "You know... you could care a little more. There's a couple hundred people dead... not to mention every single other living thing on that entire block." He leaned down, breath right in Kyo's face. "And instead you're sitting here letting your little whore give you a fucking handjob in front of me." Another bitter laugh escaped him. "Grow the fuck up, Kyo." He shoved away from the chair and stalked toward the door. "If you won't do anything, I will."

Kyo sat there, a dark look in his eyes as he watched Kaoru explode at him and then stomp off. When the door clicked shut again, Kyo relaxed back against the couch, spreading his legs now rather than leaving them crossed. "Someone else needs to grow up," he murmured as his fingers tangled in Die's hair, pushing him down toward his crotch.

It wasn't long before Die's warm mouth engulfed Kyo's length, sucking diligently on his cock. He moaned, hips arching as he shuddered. It wasn't often he indulged, but last night had been painful for him... and Die had been whining for three days about how he wanted to give Kyo something in return for taking care of him. His hips pushed up again and again, his breath rasping out as he damn near fucked the redhead's luscious mouth.

Die allowed it, his tongue drawing patterns over the hard cock in his mouth, sucking each time Kyo would pull back and relaxing his throat when he'd push in. His fingertips gripped Kyo's pale thigh, thumb lightly caressing the tip of the tail of Kyo's tiger tattoo. He moaned quietly as Kyo tensed, filling his mouth with his release. Each drop, he made sure to carefully swallow before he sat up, wiping at the corners of his mouth, cheeks flushed and his own robe parted just enough to reveal his own very hard dick.

Kyo smirked at him as he came back down from his high, shifting and pushing Die back on the couch, dragging his hips toward him. He moved then, turning so he was facing the redhead, pulling his legs up on the couch. Settling Die's ass in his lap, he smirked. One hand pushed the silk out of the way, revealing Die's body to him as he stroked over the other man's hips. "Are you close, Daisuke?"

The stripper's head bobbed, his cheeks flushed with arousal. But it was his eyes that gave him away, the wild almost desperate look deep in them. He squirmed a little in Kyo's lap, one hand holding onto the back of the couch and the other resting on his stomach.

The yakuza grunted a little. "Cum for me. Let me watch."

Immediately Die's hand snaked around his length, grasping it firmly and starting to tug frantically on it. He gasped and whimpered, whined and keened. His voice grew louder and louder until his hips arched beautifully beneath Kyo's hands and his entire body trembled. A moment later, his release began to spurt out across his abdomen, the first shot hitting his chest and the rest dripping lower and lower until the final amount oozed out over his fingertips.

Kyo shivered, slowly helping Die settle back down. "That was nice," he murmured quietly before slipping off the couch, moving toward the bedroom again. "Come."

Die obediently got up, following after him, one arm wrapped around his middle, his form still trembling just the smallest amount.

\----------

Kaoru paced his apartment, phone pressed to his ear and his eyes narrowed in thought. "I don't know, Shinya... I don't have any idea what it could be. Have they done the testing for a biological bomb or anything?"

_"They have, but it came up inconclusive."_

"I don't like that." He paused, one hand resting on the windowsill as he stared out in the direction of the part of town that had been attacked.

_"You think I like it any better, Kaoru?"_

"No... no I don't. But what's left to do if you guys still haven't found the cause? Get out of there and let the big shots at National handle it." He paused for a moment and then mumbled softly, "I don't want you to go dying on me if whoever did it comes back." The way he said it spoke volumes about just how deeply he felt for the other man.

Shinya's soft laughter trickled over the phone line. "Yeah, yeah... okay. I'm off anyway. So..." the sound of footsteps crunching against gravel could be heard, "want to meet me at Sotinos?"

Kaoru smiled to himself, pushing away from the window. "Alright. Give me half an hour." He didn't wait for an answer. He just closed the phone and slipped it back into his pocket. At least one thing in his life was established now. It made a man feel better to know something was.


	13. Ink Stains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The streets of Tokyo are filled with filth and decay. Even those who walk the righteous path have a certain difficulty remembering what is honestly the right thing to do. Deep inside the underbelly of the city a lone Yakuza works his way up the food chain and toward his final goal. Doing what's right is all that Kyo will ever focus on, regardless of whether or not that happens to be on the same side as the law wants it to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta Readers: rapturouspurple, elyachan  
> Song[s]: " Again" by SE7EN

Kaoru sat in his chair across from Shinya, fingers playing idly with a tortilla chip. Sometimes he wondered about Shinya's taste in food. This place served all kinds of odd things. It proclaimed North American dishes on the neon sign outside the door. It looked like a hole in the wall restaurant, like a place to avoid at all costs unless you liked food poisoning. But once inside the establishment, it was clean; spotless in fact. The chips were fresh, made every twenty minutes or so as the customers came in the door and the salsa was at least as hot as medium curry, though a bit of a different type of taste in Kaoru's opinion.

He scooped up another chip full of the red, slightly watery paste and pushed it into his mouth, chewing and then swallowing. Immediately, he lifted the iced tea glass to his lips, sipping some and wincing as it burned more. Stupid... foolish... and he knew it. Clearing his throat, he looked up when the waitress arrived with their food, placing a dish of something they called carne adovada in front of him. It came with refried beans and Mexican rice. Kaoru poked at the rice with his fork and looked perplexed for a moment before glancing at what Shinya's plate held.

Shinya smiled at Kaoru as he picked up a bottle of ketchup and squirted it onto the plate before grabbing a french fry and holding it out to Kaoru. "Here, try one of these... they're better than any of the fast food places."

Kaoru accepted the fry, biting into it and then nodding a little. It was pretty good. He finished it off before starting to eat his own meal, eyeing Shinya's burger with a critical eye. Why would you come to someplace like this and order a hamburger? He shook his head a little and took his first bite of the carne, chewing and then making a face at the heat, shoving some rice and beans in after, quickly figuring out what they were on the plate for: heat reducers. Good to know.

The slim cop picked up his double bacon cheeseburger and took a huge bite, actually moaning at the taste. Kaoru arched an eyebrow, but didn't say anything, just continuing to eat in silence.

Almost an hour later, the two men paid and left the restaurant together. After a few blocks, Kaoru pulled Shinya into a department sore, weaving his way through the most crowded sections of the building before exiting via a back door and drawing the slender man into the shadows, almost running along the pavement. Shinya went with him, not questioning any of Kaoru's actions. He wasn't blind and he knew what Kaoru was running from. They'd been spotted and a couple of cops had been tailing them from the restaurant as if they'd been waiting for them to leave.

As soon as they were heading back the way they'd come, Shinya breathed easier, his hand slipping into Kaoru's as he stared over at him. He didn't say anything, but the look in his eyes was contemplative.

When Kaoru looked at him, he met his eyes for a moment and then focused back on the street. "Do you ever wonder if I'm worth all the chances you're taking?"

Shinya shook his head, fingers gripping Kaoru's hand tighter. "I don't have to wonder, Kaoru. You taught me all I know about the laws... and the injustice of the system angers me just as much as it does you. If they catch us... I'll gladly go to jail alongside you or go down trying to save you."

Kaoru paused, looking at Shinya, his eyes dark before he shook his head a little. "Promise me you won't die. I'm not worth that, Shinya."

The blonde shook his head. "Shut up, Kaoru. I'll do with my life whatever I please." He smirked and then started to tug his lover down the street faster, heading toward his own apartment. "So... about that case... any leads? We're at a complete loss downtown."

They turned up the last street and Kaoru shrugged a little. "Without being there, it's hard to speculate. From what you've given me, I think it must be something they won't properly figure out even with all the science in the world. I mean... everything dead and no biological hazards detected? It makes no sense unless you speculate outside the box."

Shinya nodded, his forehead creased in thought as they walked on, now in relative silence. It wasn't until they were in his apartment, taking off their shoes that he spoke up again. "So you think maybe it's something more... otherworldly?"

Kaoru nodded, moving toward the couch and plopping down on it. "I... at this point... would have to think so." He crossed one leg over the other and leaned back, stretching slightly, closing his eyes. "I tried to show Kyo, but he had this stupid redhead over..." Kaoru made a loud snorting sound, "and they ended up practically having sex right in front of me!" His eyes opened and he glared hard at the floor in front of him.

"Oh yeah?" Shinya settled down beside Kaoru, crossing his legs Indian style on the couch. "Sounds... kinda hot, to me."

The look Kaoru shot the other man could have disintegrated a lesser being. Shinya ignored it. "No, I mean it... Kyo's not hard on the eyes... and I'm sure anyone with him would look... appealing."

Kaoru crossed his arms and glared daggers at the wall behind Shinya's head. "Well if you think he's all that why don't you go join his fucking harem then?"

One elegant eyebrow arched and Shinya laughed softly. "Chill out a bit. If you're not careful I'll think you want to fuck him or something."

The words struck home and Kaoru glowered even harder, abruptly getting up and heading for the balcony. "Need a damn smoke," he huffed, shoving the glass door open and then closed again behind him. He lit up with shaking fingers and puffed angrily through half the cigarette before he calmed down enough to start thinking rationally about things again. Maybe... Shinya was right. He did hold some kind of small flame for Kyo, a certain heat in his belly that burned with attraction when he was near him. But other than that, he didn't feel anything besides gratefulness toward the other man. And if that was all it was... then why was he behaving like a fool?

He sighed, flicking the butt of his smoke over the edge of the balcony and quietly came back inside. Shinya was exactly where he'd left him, his eyes closed and his posture straight. It was obvious he was meditating. Kaoru smiled a bit and settled onto the floor next to the couch instead, watching him until the other's eyes fluttered open and he looked right at him.

"Are we done being irrational?" His voice held only amusement, not malice or anger.

Kaoru nodded. "Yeah." He didn't apologize. Instead, he got up and settled down next to Shinya on the couch again, putting one hand on his thigh. "So... dinner... was really nice."

Shinya laughed, moving so that he could lean against Kaoru's side, his long legs stretched out across the rest of the couch. He yawned a little and rested his head against the other's shoulder. "What did they do?" he asked, sensing that now Kaoru could talk about it without being an ass.

"Ah... the guy gave him a handjob under his robe," he muttered, looking a little bit irritated still.

"Mmhmm..." Shinya plucked a string from his slacks, tossing it on the floor. "And you wouldn't like it if say... I did that to you... in front of someone?" He was testing the waters. After all, what good was a relationship where you knew nothing about the other person's desires? He knew all there was to know about Kaoru as a professional and a good amount of what he liked in the things friendship would bring: movie tastes, food likes and dislikes... even his favorite color. But he was almost clueless when it came to the other man's needs as they'd never really discussed such things. After all, that would seem an odd conversation for two co-workers to have had and their relationship hadn't been going on long enough to have had one... until now.

Kaoru shifted a bit uncomfortably, but settled down and pursed his lips. "Maybe," he conceded, begrudgingly. After that, he sighed. "The problem is... the guy was acting like a fucking whore... a call boy at the most. I just don't understand why Kyo would need to pay for sex. It bothers me."

Shinya nodded, crossing his ankles and narrowing his eyes in thought. "It could be that the guy's a friend or something."

"No way," Kaoru immediately responded. "I mean... he was sleeping while the guy was in his apartment and the guy answered the door... but the mannerisms, the way he was hovering around Kyo, all kind of seemed like there was payment going on." He shook his head. "Plus, I called him a whore and it wasn't denied... by either of them."

Shinya frowned, playing with a strand of his blonde hair. "So... ask Kyo what the deal is if it bothers you so much. I'd rather you ask than dwell on it and I'm sure he would rather you do that, too."

It took him a few minutes, but finally, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed the other blonde's number, waiting as it rang, his fingers drumming impatiently on his lover's side.

Eventually the other line was answered. "Yes?" Kyo's voice sounded slightly annoyed.

"Can I ask you something?"

Kyo sighed deeply. "What is it, Kaoru?"

"That redhead... is he a whore?"

Shinya shot Kaoru a horrified look. "Fuck," he hissed, "you were supposed to be nice about it!"

Kaoru glowered back at the other man, not really caring right then if he was supposed to be nice or not.

"What business if that of yours?" Kyo asked, his voice deceptively calm. He had put on his mask of neutrality.

"It's bugging me why he decided he needed to fucking grope you in front of me. It was..." before he had a chance to say disgusting, Shinya grabbed the phone out of his hands and pushed it to his ear.

"He's bothered because he's attracted to you." He had to grab Kaoru's hand as it came to try to take the phone away, his body curling up to protect the piece of technology from the older man's grasp. "And seeing you be touched by another man in front of him made him assume the guy was a whore. I told him the guy's probably a friend but he," Shinya grunted as Kaoru flailed at him to get the phone, "is a stubborn ass sometimes." He tossed the phone back to Kaoru and rolled off the couch, smoothly standing and starting to pull his clothing back into the proper places.

Kyo chuckled just as Kaoru put the phone back to his ear. "Whipped much, Kaoru? Your cop buddy has you tied to his little finger." He laughed and then sobered up really quickly. "His name is Die. Call him anything but that ever again and I'll shoot your ass." He didn't sound like he was joking. "And he's a stripper... but no, I did not pay for sex. We... have an arrangement."

"Arrangement?" Now Kaoru was just curious. What the hell kind of arrangement could he possibly have with a stripper?

"He is a friend and I buy his time to keep him from having to do things with people he doesn't need to be dealing with. Sometimes... he throws himself at me... and I let him." It was just like typical Kyo to be trivializing something that actually meant so much to him. If he'd just let himself think a bit more freely, he'd realize he was actually damn close to in love with Die. But the fact of the matter was... he didn't let himself think that much.

Kaoru shifted. "So that was him throwing himself at you? If so, you have no willpower." He snorted.

Kyo sighed in a rather tired manner. "First of all, you woke me up after a damn hard night. Second of all, you need to realize when something stops being your business. And third... you're not a fucking cop anymore, so stop acting like you need to investigate my every move and my every motive. I'm tired of it already." He hung up the phone on Kaoru rather abruptly.

The ex-cop sat there, stunned for a moment before he put the phone back in his pocket.

"He just gave you what for, didn't he?" Shinya stood in front of Kaoru, his arms crossed over his chest, a rather amused smirk on his lips.

Kaoru scrunched up his nose and then nodded. "Pretty much."

Shinya chuckled as he moved forward, hands going to Kaoru's shoulders as he slipped into his lap and just settled there. "Allow me to distract you, then."

Kaoru smirked up at him, settling back, his hands on Shinya's waist. "But of course."


	14. Ink Stains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The streets of Tokyo are filled with filth and decay. Even those who walk the righteous path have a certain difficulty remembering what is honestly the right thing to do. Deep inside the underbelly of the city a lone Yakuza works his way up the food chain and toward his final goal. Doing what's right is all that Kyo will ever focus on, regardless of whether or not that happens to be on the same side as the law wants it to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta Readers: rapturouspurple  
> Song[s]: "SAIJOU NO UTA" by Dir en grey

Kaoru moaned deeply, his body shuddering as he laced his fingers into Shinya's blonde hair. He let out a rather obnoxious moan, his hips shoving up, pushing his cock deeper into his lover's mouth. Gone were any thoughts of Kyo and the redheaded stripper. Now all he could focus on were those glorious lips wrapped around his shaft, sucking him off with rapt attention. His eyes opened and he peered down at the cop, licking his lips as he watched.

Even as Shinya's head bobbed over his dick, the blonde managed to keep a completely different rhythm with his hand as he stroked himself off. It was all too obvious just how much Shinya enjoyed giving head and it made Kaoru feel even more aroused to know it. It wasn't often that someone actually enjoyed the act in his experience. He groaned rather harshly, his head falling back against the couch, the material creaking under his weight. "You are a god," he muttered under his breath, his mind slowly slipping through his fingers as his arousal reached new heights.

Shinya didn't respond to the comment, having nothing to say about it really. More, he wanted to keep doing exactly what he was, and so he did, without pause. He moaned around Kaoru, his eyes darting up to look into the other man's face, watching his ecstasy increase exponentially. Kaoru's hand gripped harder at his hair, his dick pushing into his mouth deeper. After a few tiny thrusts, the ex-cop started to cum, filling Shinya's mouth with his release.

The blonde swallowed after each spurt. He didn't particularly like the taste of Kaoru's spunk, but that didn't matter as much as making Kaoru feel like he was in the stars. When the other was finally done, Shinya pulled his head back, letting go of Kaoru's dick with a wet pop. He settled back on the floor, his thighs partially spread as he worked his hand over his cock faster. He throbbed with arousal, his blood pounding in his veins. Flushing lightly, he threw back his head and moaned, spilling himself over his fist. Wet warmth filled his hand, running over the head of his dick in thick rivulets. Spent, he just sat there with a slightly dazed look on his face, his hand around his slackening length.

Kaoru chuckled softly as he got up, making his way to the table by the balcony where he picked up the box of tissues. Coming back, he tossed them down to the floor beside Shinya and then did up his pants, his belt jingling as he did. Sighing, he threw himself back down on the couch and yawned.

Shinya cleaned up his mess and then leaned back, tossing the ball of used tissue toward the trashcan. It hit the rim and bounced in. He grinned and tucked himself back into his slacks before picking himself up off the floor and hovering over Kaoru for a moment. "I should be going," he murmured quietly, his dark eyes watching for a reaction.

But Kaoru only nodded and Shinya shrugged, leaning in and pecking his cheek before he trudged into the entryway, putting his shoes back on and getting his jacket. He opened the door and then stuffed his hands in his pockets, glancing over his shoulder. Shaking his head, he left, letting the door click shut behind him.

The sound held a certain finality to it.

\-----------------

Toshiya's eyes scanned the club, his dark orbs looking for one thing and one thing only. His eyes narrowed against the brightly colored flashing lights and his hands remained stuffed in the pockets of his white jeans. His red and black sweater fell from one shoulder, more of a clothing issue than a fashion statement, though it passed well as the latter. He shifted slightly and then started moving across the carpeted floor the instant he caught sight of red leather disappearing down the VIP hallway.

He turned the corner into the VIP area only to be stopped by a rather burly looking security guard. One large hand pressed against his solar plexus and he made a face, stepping back half a step. "I'm here to speak with Die. I work in the casino."

The bouncer shrugged. "I don't care who you are. You pay like anyone else and you never disturb a stripper back here."

Toshiya's eyes narrowed as he yanked out a small sum of cash. It was meant for his rent, but he'd find another way to pay it. He _had_ to speak with Die. Something about his clients lately was really starting to bother him. He'd heard a rumor that he'd been at Kyo's for almost a week after someone knifed him up real well. And then he'd heard something about rape. This was getting out of hand and the fact that the other strippers were whispering about Die's regulars when they went on smoke breaks didn't bode well for the redhead either. "I'll pay," he bit out, "but I'm not waiting."

"That's enough for a lap dance in the bar area. Perhaps you would prefer to find another stripper. Die is busy."

Before Toshiya could respond, a familiar face peeked out from one of the curtains. He breathed out a sigh of relief at seeing Kyo's blonde poof of hair. "He's with me. Let him in. I'm paying." The yakuza shot him a look that told him not to argue and Toshiya slunk past the bouncer when the hand dropped away from his chest.

As soon as he was inside the booth, Toshiya blinked a few times, letting his eyes adjust to the low light. Die sat in the corner, his top laying on the table, one boot unzipped, and his hair looking rather disheveled. When Kyo sat back down, right next to the redhead, it was more than obvious what had been going on judging only from the very obvious tent in the blonde's pants.

Toshiya looked away, his cheeks heated. "I... should come back later," he murmured.

Kyo shook his head. "Sit. You wanted to talk to Die, so talk to him." He crossed his legs and then fished around in his pockets, finding his cigarettes and a lighter. He lit up and then rubbed a hand over his face. "Make it fast."

The casino worker winced, shifting a bit, looking uncomfortable. After a few moments, he finally spoke up. "I've heard about your... problem lately." He flicked a glance at Die. "The other night with that guy and the knife... last night and the rape."

Die stiffened as Kyo sat up straighter. He tucked himself back in the corner and stared at the yakuza, his eyes scared. "It's nothing," he mumbled, his words falling into one another in a rush.

The leather of the seat creaked as Kyo shifted, his rings glinting in what little light there was in the booth. His face was a mask of pure anger. "What rape?" he asked, his voice a hell of a lot calmer than his expression.

The stripper bowed his head, silently pulling the zipper on his boot back up and then reaching for his top on the table. He swallowed hard and pretended to ignore the question, acting like he hadn't heard it. "I don't feel so well. I'll ensure your money comes back to you, Kyo." He stood then, tying his top in the back as he headed for the curtain.

The air shifted and then Kyo was in front of Die, standing in his way, his eyes shimmering with ferocity. "Sit your ass down on that couch."

Immediately the redhead obeyed, stumbling backwards and flopping down on the couch with a sound of discomfort.

Toshiya flinched back when Kyo turned on him. "Explain."

The taller blonde swallowed hard and then opened his mouth, quickly explaining. "Some guy... the other strippers say he came in, took a few of the guys and one girl in the VIP area. Paid in cash. When he left, no one came out of the back for a while and when they did, they were carrying the girl - you know, that blue-haired white chick - and she was almost entirely done in. Beat her, I guess. They were saying the others were all tied up and she managed to free one of them before passing out. I was on smoke break and the brunette with all the tattoos said she heard the others talking about it, about how he only raped two of them out of the five." He flicked his glance over at Die.

Kyo stubbed out his cigarette on the table and then leaned over Toshiya. "Who were the other strippers, Toshiya?"

The blonde flinched back in his seat. "The guy with the dreads, the one that always wears purple, and Die."

"Leave," he growled at Toshiya before he walked over to Die, yanking his head back and staring hard into his eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Toshiya scrambled to his feet and fled the room, stumbling half over himself the entire way out of the club.

Die stared up into Kyo's eyes for a long time before tears slowly began to slide down his cheeks and he closed his eyes. "I didn't want you to hate me," he whispered, his voice choked.

Kyo softened in an instant at that, straddling the redhead and pulling him into his arms, letting him cry against his shoulder. He took a few deep breathes, letting the anger flow out of him for the time being. It wasn't Die's fault he'd been raped. No... not his fault at all.

The soft sounds of Die sniffling went on for a while until he started babbling quietly, "Blindfolded all of us... except her. He raped her and we could hear it, hear her screaming for help while no one came to help her." He shook his head. "It was... the weirdest thing. We went in with one guy, but we all remember having guns pressed to our heads the entire time, every single one of us, even during her rape. But there's no way one person could do that and there wasn't any way to rig it up like that."

Kyo sat, listening quietly, his hands stroking those long red locks, soothing Die as he spoke, allowing him the freedom to get this out of his system this way. His eyes were closed and he remained focused, channeling Die's fear enough for the redhead to speak.

"He finished with her a few minutes after she went completely quiet. We figured she'd passed out... or at least I did." He shrugged a little. "Then... then he came after me." Die squished his eyes shut. "What I find the most odd is that I can't remember his face at all. The club cameras only show him in that stupid black robe, the hood up. None of us know what he looked like from before he blindfolded us, sort of like we were brainwashed or something maybe."

"Smells... what smells were there?" Kyo questioned softly. He tried to remember things Kaoru had written in the police files he'd brought to Kyo.

"Butterscotch... and chamomile, I think. Like he'd had tea recently." Die sounded sure of that.

Kyo nodded. "Did you get a rape kit done?"

Die stiffened and then started trying to get away from Kyo rather than answering.

"Calm down," he murmured, leaning back and framing Die's face with his hands. "Look at me. I want to know because it could help find this asshole, not because of anything else. Do you understand me?"

Wild eyes stared up at him for a few long minutes before they closed and the redhead shook his head. "No."

Kyo frowned. "Did the girl?"

Die shrugged.

Standing up, Kyo curled his arm around Die's waist. "That's it... I don't care how this looks to anyone else. I'm not letting you work here. Go get your stuff, I'm solving this problem once and for all." He patted Die's back, pushing him out in front of him and then heading down the hallway and making a sharp left into the office area, quickly finding the Boss.

The larger man looked up from his desk, nodding at the chair in front of the large oak piece of furniture. "Have a seat, Kyo."

Kyo sat, because when you wanted something from the Boss, you didn't argue with him about the petty things. He crossed his legs, one over the other, hands folded neatly over one knee. "How much is it going to cost me to purchase Die?"

"Depends... what do you want him for this time?" The older man stretched out his back, a few terrible sounding pops filling the brief silence before he sighed at the feeling, slouching back over the wooden desk.

"I want him as my personal sex slave. I don't want others sullying him up. I was told the other night someone got their dick in him. That's my claim, no one else's." He sounded crass, like he was truly only caring about the fact that someone else's cock had been where his was supposed to be. That wasn't the full truth, but he wasn't about to reveal the rest and if nothing else, Kyo was always a good actor.

The Boss folded his hands over one another on the desk. "You know he cannot leave or he will be put to death. He's seen what he should not have seen, Kyo."

The short blonde actually let anger flair in his eyes for a moment before he leaned forward, hands curling around the edge of the desk. "I don't care what he saw. It's not like he'd be free. He'd be mine... more of a slave than he is now. He would not speak without my permission, would not move without my permission. He's already trained so well. I _will_ have my pleasures."

"Stop behaving like a petulant child." The chair creaked as the Boss leaned back and pulled a crystal jug of whiskey and two glasses from his desk drawer. He splashed some of the liquid in each of the glasses before pushing one to Kyo and quickly downing the one he'd poured for himself. "Why can you not choose another? Or find your own?"

Kyo eyed the drink and then left it there. He didn't imbibe alcohol when he considered himself to be working. "I have already chosen him," he answered simply. "I will more than pay for any amount of money his absence will cost you."

The Boss shook his head. "He's under contract Kyo, you know that this cannot be."

He stood then, leaning over the desk, his five foot two inches suddenly seeming menacing as he hissed out, "I'm not taking no for an answer. I'm either paying for him or we're leaving and you'll never see my face or his ever again."

Again the chair creaked and Kyo unhesitantly reached out both hands, one grabbing the Boss's wrist and the other his shoulder as he wrenched it up and then back. An unhealthy snap sounded in the room. "I will kill you and take your place if I have to. Don't you dare draw a gun on me." His voice sounded like ice.

He felt the other man relax in his hold, but he kept his position. "How much?"

"More than you can afford," came the response, sounding almost mechanical.

Kyo pressed his lips close to the Boss's ear. "Human life is priceless. It's either worth nothing but being tossed in the free bin or it's worth more than can be imagined. So... which is he to you? Something to be tossed away or something you want everything for?"

Silence permeated the room for a few moments before the older man sighed. "Get his contract and burn it."

Kyo let him go, turning his back on the other man and walking to the cabinets. "That's what I thought." He rifled through the papers, finding Die's contract and glancing at his full name and birthdate before he pulled out his lighter and held he papers over the trashcan in the corner and lit one edge. He watched as they flamed up and burned quickly away. He let the last corner go, watching it float down as the fire turned it to ash before it ever hit the waste bin. Turning, he walked to the door before a voice stopped him.

"Don't ever do that again unless you do intend to kill me, Kyo." The tone was warning and yet tired, like a weary parent.

He just nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets and heading for the back room to pick up Die and get the hell out of there.

 **To Be Continued...**  
I'll be honest. I completely forgot I even had this written. It was from like... forever ago. *sigh* I'm not even sure I'll get back into writing this, but I figured to at least post what I have.


	15. Ink Stains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The streets of Tokyo are filled with filth and decay. Even those who walk the righteous path have a certain difficulty remembering what is honestly the right thing to do. Deep inside the underbelly of the city a lone Yakuza works his way up the food chain and toward his final goal. Doing what's right is all that Kyo will ever focus on, regardless of whether or not that happens to be on the same side as the law wants it to be.

Die sat staring across the table from Kyo, his rice cereal making little popping sounds in the milk. He’d been told it was something Americans did and that Kyo sort of enjoyed the feel of it on his tongue. He hesitantly ate the breakfast food, uncertain what was going on with this whole thing. He’d been rushed out of the club and it had seemed to him that everyone was glowering at him and Kyo as they left. Not only that but so far Kyo had gotten four calls that he’d ignored completely, which from what he’d known of the other wasn’t usual.

Again the phone started to ring and Kyo put down his spoon, the last spoonful of his cereal gone now. He dabbed his mouth with his napkin, issued a curt, “Eat,” to Die and then left the room, answering his phone as he left.

Die sighed, slowly eating, his stomach not really feeling up to it. Kyo had dragged him away and then put him through a battery of tests at a clinic down the street before he’d taken him by his own place to get his personal belongings. From there, he’d ended up back at Kyo’s apartment, been told to wash up and go to bed, which he’d done. Kyo hadn’t been acting his usual self and that in and of itself bothered Die like nothing else could have.

He sat back in his seat, the chair creaking a bit as he picked up his bowl and started to sip at the milk instead, not feeling like using the spoon right then. He was tired and on edge and his fingers shook too badly to keep most of the liquid in the shallow cup of the utensil.

Kyo came back into the room just as Die put the bowl down, sliding the phone across the table. “It’s Toshiya. Talk to him.” He then left the room again, seeming to leave in a cloud of severely-pissed-off. A moment later the front door closed and Die hesitantly took the phone, putting it to his ear. “Hello?”

From the other end came a breathy sigh of relief. “Die. Oh thank god. I came back later to find you and you were gone! They said you no longer worked there. And… and… well, I thought…” he let out something that seemed to be a half-masked sob.

“I’m fine. Kyo… took me away. But he’s acting… odd.” He made a face and then got up to put the bowls in the sink, going back to clean the table and then leaned on the counter with the phone. “Has anyone said anything about him?”

There was a soft whine on the other end, obviously that of a dog, and then a sharp bark. Then Toshiya replied, “Murmurings about Kyo having threatened the Boss. But nothing substantial. Mostly just guesswork. I wouldn’t show your face back here anytime soon.”

Die huffed out a little breath. “But why… I don’t understand. He’d buy my time all the time, but I don’t understand why he’d keep doing this stuff for me.”

Toshiya’s laugh was almost cruel. “What are you? Fucking stupid? He’s got it for you pretty bad.”

Die sat quietly for a moment and then let out, “Oh.” For a long moment he said nothing more and then, “I should go.”

“Keep in touch,” the casino worker replied before hanging up the phone as well.

Die huffed out a little breath and put the phone carefully on the table on Kyo’s side before going back to the bedroom and making the bed. He didn’t know what else to do except to try to be helpful to Kyo for the time being. He had nowhere to go and nothing to go off of for the time being.

\-----------------

Kyo had gone straight to Kaoru’s when he’d left, knocking on the door until the other man had let him in. He’d made himself comfortable on the other man’s couch and then demanded to know, “Do you feel the need to fuck off your… attraction to me?”

Kaoru gaped at him for a long moment before shaking his head. “No way in fuck. What the hell, Kyo?”

The shorter man shrugged. “Thought I’d ask. You never know. And that doesn’t need to be hovering between us for the rest of our partnership.”

Kaoru sat down next to the other and crossed his legs over one another. “You seem… agitated. What’s going on?”

Kyo was quiet for a long moment before offering. “Have you ever done something so foolish you know it to be the stupidest thing you’ve ever done but yet you can’t take it back and there’s nowhere to go but forward?”

“I think walking out of the police station qualifies as that.”

“Right.” Kyo stared at the opposite wall for quite a long time, watching the shadows chase one another from the tree outside the window waving in the breeze. “Let’s just say… I may have to move up in the world soon at the rate I’m going.” He wasn’t going to offer to say he could die. That wasn’t how his mind worked and he wasn’t stupid enough to believe that the Boss was more gifted than he was. He would win, one way or another, if it came to it.

Kaoru drew his own conclusions and then huffed out a laugh. “Well don’t you just enjoy getting yourself into a shit-storm.” It wasn’t even remotely a question, despite being phrased as one. It was a statement of truth. “How do you plan to get out of it if you don’t… move up?”

Kyo shrugged. “It’ll either blow over or it won’t. But I think I may have just enslaved an innocent man for the time being.”

“What do you mean?” Kaoru asked, a hard edge to his voice as he tensed.

“Do not fucking give me that look,” Kyo snarled out at Kaoru before settling again. “Die… I removed him from the club. But the only way to do it was to lie about what he is to me. I called him a sex slave… and until the Boss is gone, he has to at least appear to be that on the outside.”

Kaoru almost wanted to laugh, but he didn’t. “Not far from what he was trying to do anyway, I suppose. But I guess that means he now lives with you?”

Kyo nodded. “It does.”

“I’ll remember to plug my ears at night,” Kaoru replied as he stood up and headed for the balcony. “Smoke?”

Kyo stood up and shook his head. “I’ll let myself out. I just thought you should know some… changes… might be coming.” It was only fair to tell a partner after all, wasn’t it?

Kaoru nodded, his back still to the other. “Don’t get a big head on you and decide I’m not good enough, yeah?”

Kyo didn’t reply, he simply left the apartment. Some things were better left unsaid.


	16. Ink Stains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The streets of Tokyo are filled with filth and decay. Even those who walk the righteous path have a certain difficulty remembering what is honestly the right thing to do. Deep inside the underbelly of the city a lone Yakuza works his way up the food chain and toward his final goal. Doing what's right is all that Kyo will ever focus on, regardless of whether or not that happens to be on the same side as the law wants it to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta Readers: gothic_hime  
> Song[s]: "Certain Death" by Brad Sucks

Die’s hips twisted to the music, his hand on the door frame as he slowly slid down and then back up, his eyes closed. He wore only a pair of tight red shorts and one of his hands held a dust cloth. He’d been cleaning when one of his most used songs had come on the radio and he just couldn’t kick the habit of reacting to it.

Kyo had gone out for a while and Die figured he’d probably never know that some things just wouldn’t stop. He slid back up, groin pressed to the door frame. A low groan came out of his lips as he began to realize that doing this in private meant he found it less of a spectacle and more of a turn-on. One hand pushed into his hair, the dust rag hitting the floor. He turned on the ball of one foot and collapsed back against the frame. His hand slid down from his hair and into the front of his pants, slowly gripping his dick and starting to tug on it, bringing himself to full hardness. Another moan slipped free and finally his eyelids fluttered open.

Almost instantly Die gasped and yanked his hand out of his pants, staring at none other than Kyo. The yakuza was standing across the living room from him, leaning one hip on the couch, his arms crossed over his chest. There was a certain darkness to his eyes and Die found himself somehow a little afraid of what was coming.

Kyo moved swiftly across the room toward him, reaching and picking up the cloth, examining it and then tossing it on the table beside them. “Enjoy the cleaning a little too much?” he questioned, one eyebrow arched at the other.

Die huffed out a little sound and then bowed his head in something that could have been called shame. “Sorry.”

The other reached to run one finger over his shoulder and down his arm. “Don’t be.” He was quiet for a long moment and then offered, “Were you going to continue?”

Die’s eyes lifted to stare at Kyo, something like wonder filtering through them. So he wanted this show, then. With a little huff and a smirk, he allowed himself to relax, his hand slipping back into his pants, working over his dick quickly, his hips pushing toward his hand as he pleased himself.

Kyo’s fingers slid over his chest and then down to the hem of Die’s pants, gently slipping into the very top of the fabric and then pulling it out just enough to see inside and watch what Die was doing to himself. He was just as hard as the dancer was, his cock throbbing urgently against the front of his slacks. But he didn’t dare push things that far himself, especially with what he knew Toshiya had probably told Die, rumor-wise.

The redhead’s hand moved faster, a blur over his dick, little grunts of pleasure falling free from his lips as he worked himself closer and closer to his end. A shudder of pure pleasure rushed through him as his gaze slid down Kyo’s body, finding the significant tent in his pants, telling him the other was definitely enjoying the show. His pink tongue darted out, wetting his lips and then sliding back in. “Show me yourself,” he requested quietly. “I want to see how much you enjoy this.”

Kyo let go of the waistband to Die’s pants, reaching to unzip his slacks instead. His hand slipped inside, fingers wrapping around hard flesh and then drawing it out for Die to see. He stroked himself a few times and then just left it exposed, one hand coming up to thread through his own hair, the other resting on the wall beside the redhead.

Die watched Kyo expose himself, letting out a pleased sound when he moved to stroke his dick a few times. He pushed his own pants down to completely expose his dick and the pale expanse of skin just above it. His hand grasped at his cock, frantically jerking as he stared at Kyo’s cock; the cock he wanted to touch, to suck, to have fuck him into the nearest wall as hard as possible. After a few moments, he just couldn’t take it any longer. He fell to his knees, one hand wrapping around Kyo’s hip to hold him still, the other guiding the blonde’s dick into his mouth, his head immediately starting to bob over the length of it in complete abandon. Noises that could only be pleasure bubbled up from inside him, his lips working at the other’s dick, tongue coating it with saliva and teasing just under the head.

At first, Kyo didn’t really know how to respond. But he left well enough alone and let Die do as he wanted. After all, the dancer had requested he take his dick out, had wanted to see him hard like this. And he hadn’t asked him to be on his knees, sucking with such abandon it was as though he wanted to become Kyo’s cock. And so, he enjoyed himself, his hips pushing forward only ever so slightly, dick throbbing from the unexpected onslaught of pleasure coming to it.

And when Die’s hand slipped down from the base of Kyo’s cock, across his balls and then down to grasp at his own dick, Kyo could only groan, watching his dick disappear into the other’s mouth, watching as Die’s hand became a blur over his own dick. Kyo’s vision narrowed down to only the two of them, his senses only on the current happenings in the room. Pleasure ran through his veins as if it were replacing the blood that usually resided there. His hips pushed forward as far as Die could take, the other’s head against the wall as he pushed his dick in. “Fuck.” The word slid free from his lips in the most sensual of manners. Both hands came to rest on the wall, his hips starting to make slow work of fucking the redhead’s mouth and throat, pulling out until the tip slid over swollen lips and then pushing back in until the hairs around the base of his dick pressed against Die’s mouth. It wasn’t long before his pleasure built too high for him to handle and he pulled most of the way out, one hand keeping Die’s head where it was, the other still braced on the wall as he started to fuck only the tip in and out of the other’s mouth at a desperate pace.

Die’s hand moved over his own dick quickly, the whole thing exciting him beyond belief. The moment Kyo became frantic with his movements, Die allowed himself to let go. With a few final strokes, he started to cum, spurting his cum out over his hand and the floor, groaning happily around Kyo’s dick.

The vibrations of the moan shot straight through Kyo’s dick and there wasn’t a thing he could do to hang on any longer. He let out a sharp cry and started to cum, pushing just inside Die’s mouth to deposit it over his tongue. The other lapped it up happily, sucking and licking at the Kyo until there was nothing left. Finally, he pulled off his dick with a soft pop and flopped back against the wall, breathing a bit heavily, a soft smirk on his lips.

Kyo eyed the ex-dancer and shook his head, a bemused sort of look on his face. “Sneaky bastard.”

Die grinned at him and gave him a two-fingered salute, chuckling faintly. “Mmm… always have been.” He pushed himself up from the floor and glanced down at his mess. “Guess I’m scrubbing the carpets today.”

“Just wipe it up. It’s not the first cum stains this carpet has seen… and won’t be the last.” Kyo tucked his slowly softening dick back in his pants and straightened his clothing. “By the way… this has nothing to do with you living here. I’m attracted to you, but you don’t ever owe me anything like this, is that clear?”

Die gave him a vaguely horrified look and then picked up his rag, wiping at the carpet. “Did it ever occur to you that I’ve been attracted to you since day one?” he asked, shaking his head. “You act like you’re forcing me and I’m the one who initiates everything that ever happens between us. Just get over it and realize that I’m human and I have desires and needs as well.”

Kyo simply nodded, making sure Die was looking up at him before he did it and then turned and walked toward the bathroom. Die shook his head, rolling his eyes. He certainly had a way about him, that was for damn sure.


	17. Ink Stains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The streets of Tokyo are filled with filth and decay. Even those who walk the righteous path have a certain difficulty remembering what is honestly the right thing to do. Deep inside the underbelly of the city a lone Yakuza works his way up the food chain and toward his final goal. Doing what's right is all that Kyo will ever focus on, regardless of whether or not that happens to be on the same side as the law wants it to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta Readers: gothic_hime  
> Song[s]: [The Raid Soundtrack](http://theraidsoundtrack.com/)

The sound of footsteps filled the air, someone running as if for their lives. Fog obscured the entire area, making it impossible to see what was going on. The breath of one man panted in and out, a steady huff of overworked lungs.

For one moment there was nothing and then the sound of a gunshot rang out, the figure crumpling to the ground, no sound escaping them at all. The scent of death hung heavy over the street as the shadows shifted, a cloaked figure stepping out from behind a building, gun hanging from the person’s fingertips. “A shame it’s over so soon. I’ve always enjoyed a good chase.”

The fog swirled as the man moved away, eyes gleaming faintly in the night. “I’d have thought you’d have been more of a challenge… Boss.” A thick, humorless chuckle left his lips.

He flicked a single card down on the corpse, a calling card to let the other yakuza know who was now at the top of the chain.

The air shifted and then he was gone, the only remaining evidence of his presence the dead man on the ground.

\-----

Three days passed before the Boss was finally found and Kyo had to step up. In that time, he found himself preparing those around him for the shift in power. It wasn’t an easy one, each person trying to fit into their role around Kyo without drawing suspicion in the current situation.

Kaoru found himself sort of trapped between hating Kyo for offing the Boss and knowing well that the other had performed some horrible tasks in his time, well deserving of the death sentence he had been given. Kyo had gone so far as to outline a few things that even Kaoru had not known as proof of why he’d done as he had.

Die, on the other hand, found himself relaxing. The very reason he had been enslaved at the club was due to that man and with him out of the picture, he was free to go about his life as he saw fit. Kyo had helped him move his things back to his own apartment and as soon as the announcement was spread that the Boss’ death was Kyo’s doing, he was given permission to go back home and go about doing whatever he wanted with his life.

Kyo, on the other hand, held himself in a rather awkward situation. He knew he had to take over the clan in a way that would keep him within bounds of doing things that others would have done before him, and yet not violate the same rules he held in high disdain when others did it. The shift would have to be subtle or he’d be overthrown, it was that simple.

His first action was to essentially shame the people he knew had committed the worst crimes. He ordered fingers removed, as was yakuza standard, and gave them one last chance at change, issuing statements as to why they’d been shamed as such. One man, he hunted down himself and deposited a bullet in his brain, right in front of the other men he’d been with. A few simple words had cleared it right up for them as to why. _Child Molestation._ The message was quite clear. No one pulled that shit with him as Boss and lived.

Days passed by and the amount of unreasonable crime in the area seemed to decrease, though not enough for it to be noticeable to an outsider. The yakuza acted on Kyo’s orders and refrained from the petty things that had been happening under their prior leader’s dictation. When they didn’t, Kyo lashed out with an iron fist, refusing to let things get out of control as they had been before.

Very quickly, the word began to spread, calling him Sakikiri, the idea behind the name meaning that he was the hammer coming down on those that angered him, in a very selective sort of way. The yakuza under his control earned a healthy respect quicker than most, rewarded for their actions that made him proud and punished for those that did not.

Late one night, he sat in his office inside the club, Die sitting to his left, massaging his arm. Kaoru sat across the desk from him, a grim look on his face and beside him, Shinya. A guard stood at the door, his arms crossed and his demeanor menacing to say the least. The music from the club barely filtered in, the water from the fountain on the edge of his desk making more noise in the room.

Shinya had just finished explaining about the explosions; two more had occurred since the last major one, both on a smaller scale, but all in rundown neighborhoods, known for their drug trafficking and abuse. It was an odd sort of target and given that the explosions coincided with Kyo’s taking over, Shinya and Kaoru both suspected it was one of the yakuza under Kyo’s control.

Kyo huffed out a sigh, looking weary for the first time in days. He tended to let his mask down around Kaoru and Die, knowing they both knew the man underneath it all and finding it pointless to hide it away. “I don’t see how that’s proof it’s someone under me. For all the lack of evidence, it could be coincidence or even someone trying to frame our clan.”

Kaoru slipped forward in his seat. “You need to be aware that all eyes are on you, Kyo. People are talking about the Sakikiri, even in the department. Hell, I’ve heard it dropped in conversation when I’ve been out eating. In one week, you’ve created quite the fucking stir. I can only hope that was your intention.”

Shinya spoke quietly from his seat. “It’s true. You have the entire department watching you. They’re perplexed by the shift, wondering if they can cut through the solidity of the clan and bring down a Boss to show their power as government.”

Die’s head lifted, his eyes shooting daggers at Shinya, his hand’s stilling for a moment. Slowly, they resumed work on Kyo’s arm, now on his bicep, his head lowering once again, lips pursed in a thin line. He’d found Kyo’s changes to make perfect sense and had found his sense of decency rewarding in a way he hadn’t known the other was capable of, until he’d taken his unannounced place as courtesan to the yakuza. It was a self-given title and placement, one he hadn’t quite shared with Kyo as of yet, but was trying to imply through action instead, a decision to be somewhere that mattered and was essentially protected. It only seemed the wise step for him.

Kyo’s hands flexed slightly. “They can go ahead and fucking try. My opposition levels have been lower than most in the past history of changes in clan-leaders.” He flicked a glance at the cabinets by the door, containing the information he’d poured over for days now. “My actions are quiet and brutal, it’s what a Boss needs to be in order to maintain control and throttle the opposition into extinction. I’ve known the role of a Boss for years, studied it with intent to avoid it. But the choice was made otherwise in my life path and I will accept it as it has fallen. The government can try to act against me and they will find it a hard line to break. Perhaps you should let them know this is the path they’d rather have the yakuza walking, the one of actual morals, though perhaps not the law to the letter.”

Kaoru shifted uncomfortably in his seat as Kyo pinned him with his gaze. “Or maybe they’d like to know that one of their own has defected into my midst, and is running with the very same values as I.”

Shinya stood, then, a look of rage in his eyes. “Don’t insult Kaoru that way. He’ll never be scum like you.”

Kyo let out a harsh laugh, his eyes never leaving Kaoru’s. “Perhaps not in the same way. His hands remaining unsullied by the blood of others in the manner of my own. But his heart, his mind… his _soul_ have already been stained with it. He’s allowed me and my kind to act, has even encouraged it. That alone is the act of a murderer.”

Shinya opened his mouth to speak, only stopping when Kaoru’s hand came to rest on his arm. “It’s the truth, Shinya. Don’t argue with him. He may be putting in an unsavory sort of way, but we both know I’ve supported him for longer than he’s known I existed.”

The cop’s demeanor didn’t shift, his anger still there as he turned. “I’ve heard enough. I don’t want any part of this in such a manner.” He flicked a look in Kaoru’s direction. “I’ll deal with you and only you from now on. And this never happened.” He headed to the door, waving the guard out of his way and slipping out into the club.

Kaoru watched him go, some amount of sadness flickering in his eyes. “He doesn’t understand the way I do. He supports me because he has feelings for me, but I think he mostly sees it in black and white, no matter how hard he wishes otherwise.”

Die looked up from his task, having moved behind Kyo at some point, his fingers working on sore shoulder muscles. “He lacks the loyalty someone like you needs, Kaoru.”

Kaoru looked up in enough time to see the smirk of amusement flicker across Kyo’s face, his eyes then gluing on Die. “Perhaps. But I do have feelings for him in return. I have for years and I won’t give them up so easily. If he turns on me, then I will find myself looking elsewhere. Somehow… I don’t think his back will be turned on me, though. I can’t say the same for… others.”

“And if he brings the force down on you first? Who do you expect will save you from it?” Kyo’s voice was quiet this time, so low it was almost missed.

Kaoru stood, flicking one last glance at Kyo. “You, of course.”


	18. Ink Stains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The streets of Tokyo are filled with filth and decay. Even those who walk the righteous path have a certain difficulty remembering what is honestly the right thing to do. Deep inside the underbelly of the city a lone Yakuza works his way up the food chain and toward his final goal. Doing what's right is all that Kyo will ever focus on, regardless of whether or not that happens to be on the same side as the law wants it to be.

Shinya’s fingers gripped at Kaoru’s hair, pulling the long strands as they moved together. Leather seats creaked under their movement, Kaoru’s body straining over Shinya’s. Their sweat mingled, their scent filling the back seat of the squad car. It wasn’t often that Shinya got one of the cars, but he’d been issued one for the duration of the explosion investigation and right then, he was putting it to the only use it’d had so far – a test of its back seat as a place of pleasure.

Kaoru’s thrusts grew more frantic, the car rocking slightly from the effort he was putting into it. Long ago, they’d fogged up the windows, condensation sliding down in a little drop every once in a while. Shinya’s free hand clung to the wire cage between the front seats and the back, his grip white-knuckled. A hiss of breath left him, followed by, “Oh _shit_ ,” as he started to cum, watching in something close to amazement as his cock spurted his offering out over Kaoru’s belly without so much as a single touch.

The protest of the seat became louder, more urgent as Kaoru thrust faster. “A-ah!” With this soft exclamation, Kaoru found his own edge, shoving in a few more times as he filled the condom between them. Shaking, the older man fell back against the seat, panting for his breath, sweat dripping down his face from the effort he’d put forth.

Shinya untangled himself from the other, falling back on the seat and pushing the slightly-ajar door open enough to get some form of breeze coming into the car. “Fucking hell.”

Kaoru let out a chuckle as he removed the condom, tied the top of it in a knot and dropped it in the paper bag from leftovers on the floor. He shifted enough to get his pants back up in the right place and started fastening his belt back up.

“You know… we never did really talk things out,” Shinya finally offered, sounding a bit sheepish to be bringing it up yet again.

Kaoru sighed and ran the back of his hand over his head. “Yeah… I know.” He flicked a sideways glance at Shinya before he continued. “I mean… what do you want me to say? That I disagree with Kyo? That I’ll turn myself in for believing the same as he does?”

Shinya stared at him, his eyes so flat it was almost eerie. “I want you to tell me the truth. I want to know I’m not placing everything I have in a man who’s going to go down with a sinking ship over some obscure moral battle.”

“It’s not obscure. There’s right and there’s wrong. But there are different ways of dealing with such things. Kyo… he mops up what the courts overlook, what they let free when we have all the evidence. It may not be the way everyone would want him to do it, but it’s the way it happens.”

“So you stand by his every decision then?” Shinya’s movements were gentle, quiet in comparison to Kaoru’s as he pulled his pants back on and fastened them up.

“I’m not in control of his every move. You can’t possibly ask me to be. But, overall, I agree with what he’s doing, yes.” Kaoru pushed open the door once Shinya was dressed, stepping out and promptly pulling out a cigarette from his pocket, lighting it up purely out of agitation.

Shinya stepped out as well, smoothing down his shirt. “Maybe not. But others won’t look at it that way. All I ask is that you see it from others’ view as well. See it how even you would have once seen it, Kaoru.” His slim fingers reached out to trace over the other’s arm, worry in his eyes.

Kaoru let out a stream of smoke into the night air and leaned back on the car, closing his eyes. “People change. _I’ve_ changed. My answer won’t change. I leave it up to you from here what happens between us.” With that, he pushed away from the car and started off down the block, the pavement wet under his feet.

\-----

Frustration seemed the word of the day. Die stood outside Kyo’s apartment, sopping wet. He’d been knocking on the door for somewhere around fifteen minutes and had yet to have even heard anything from inside. Thing was, Kyo was nowhere else to be found, so that meant he had to be here. Maybe Die had done something to piss him off; maybe he’d just lost interest in him. He didn’t know. But three days had gone by since he’d even talked to the other and he was on the verge of panic because of it.

Die’s hand weakly slapped the door one more time before he finally uttered out, “Fuck you,” and slid to the floor.

The sound of keys jingling and footsteps roused him to look up a few minutes later, seeing both Kaoru and Kyo step off the elevator and head down the hall toward him. Die pulled himself up off the floor, feeling almost foolish to have believed Kyo had been inside the entire time. He huffed out a sigh and then turned to lean against the wall.

Kaoru offered Die a weak smile and then gestured at his door. “I just invited Kyo for drinks. Would you like to join us?”

Die hesitated for a moment, looking to Kyo, who didn’t seem to be taking any kind of stance on the issue at all, and then back at Kaoru before he finally nodded. “Sure. I’d like that.”

Kaoru let them in and ditched his shoes at the door, making his way from there into the kitchen, where he began filling three glasses with ice cubes.

Kyo and Die took their shoes off as well, Die finishing first and waiting on Kyo. Once the smaller man had his shoes off, Die stepped toward him and wrapped him in his arms. “I’ve missed you.”

Kyo lightly patted Die’s back and then leaned in close. “Don’t hang on me too much, yeah? Kaoru’s… having some hard times in his er… personal life. Let’s not rub things in.”

Die immediately obeyed, backing up and then tilting his head a little, a soft smirk playing on his features. “I could… help him a little? Like old times?”

“Mmm… while I’m sure he’d appreciate the offer, I’m also certain he won’t take you up on it. But you’re free to ask.” He patted Die on the arm and then headed past him into the kitchen, the redhead trailing behind, a certain swagger to his step.

Kaoru looked up from where he’d been draining one of the glasses, putting it down on the counter with a thump and breathing out a harsh sound. He carefully poured himself another and then offered his guests one glass each. “Whiskey. I trust you don’t mind the good shit straight?”

Die took it with a slight bow and sipped at the drink with an approving sound. Kyo accepted his and replied quietly, “Not at all.”

Kaoru picked up the bottle and went to sit at the table, settling in a chair and leaning back. “Have a seat. There’s fresh bread from this morning right there if you’d like some.”

Kyo took a piece of bread, offering one to Die as well and then taking one for Kaoru, putting it on the table beside him. “Always eat something with that much alcohol.”

Die took the chair closer to Kaoru, settling there and then tearing off tiny pieces of his bread as he watched Kaoru stare into his glass. Finally, he murmured, “Bad day?”

Kaoru grunted and then nodded. “You could say that.”

Die put his bread and booze aside on the table. “Well… you know… I have experience at being a lovely distraction.” He reached to run a hand over Kaoru’s thigh. “If you’d like, I’d be more than happy to be exactly that for you.”

Kyo settled back, one leg crossed over the other, watching Die pretty much make the moves on Kaoru, a tiny smirk on his lips. This was something he honestly found to be entirely amusing.

Kaoru looked shocked for a moment and then coughed softly. “Um… thank you, but… it’s not really a sexual issue that I’m having.”

Die’s hand gently squeezed the muscle beneath it. “It can just be a show. As little or as much as you like.”

There was a certain amount of deliberation in Kaoru’s eyes as he stared at the other man. Die was an alluring young man and nothing if not a sexual beast, but Kaoru wasn’t really officially broken up with Shinya or anything and something like that could potentially piss off the other man. With a shrug, he shook his head and went back to his drink.

Die let go of his thigh and settled back, picking at his bread and popping tiny bites of it into his mouth. After a moment, he offered, “You could just watch Kyo and I.”

Kyo arched an eyebrow, but said nothing against it, knowing that Kaoru being stressed out and a bit pissed off wasn’t actually good for anyone. Plus, he’d had a rough couple of days.

The ex-cop huffed out a little chuckle and went to pouring himself a third glass of whiskey.

Die reached and took the bottle toward himself in pretense of getting a top-off, glancing at Kyo and shrugging. At the shake of Kyo’s head, he just settled back in his seat and quieted down.

Silence prevailed in the room for quite some time before Kyo finally spoke up. “You know… he’s just concerned for you, Kaoru. He could be warning you that something’s going down and you need to disassociate yourself from me for the time being.”

Kaoru glanced up and peered at Kyo from over the rim of his glass. “Is something going down?”

Kyo shrugged. “Hell if I know. My contacts are few and far between these days in that department.”

Kaoru huffed again and finished off the glass, putting it down and then leaning his head on his arms, looking a little bit on the drunk side from having downed all three so fast.

Die quietly got up and went to get some water from the sink, using Kaoru’s tumbler to do it. He put it back down and stood there, his arms crossed over his chest. “Drinking yourself into oblivion isn’t going to help any more than anything else is. Ask him if that’s the issue.”

Kaoru looked up at him and made a bit of a face, but he pulled out his phone and dialed the other’s number, waiting on him to answer. When he did, he murmured, “Are you trying to warn me?” He waited in silence for a few moments before closing the phone and looking over at Kyo. “Don’t be in your office tomorrow.”

Kyo winced a little. “He had to know you’d tell me… if they find out, he’s toast.” The shorter man stood up and studied the other. “How close were they to pinning everything on me when you left?”

Kaoru shook his head. “I threw them in another direction… but I don’t know.”

Kyo bobbed his head a little. “Someone else will be there to take the fall for me. That’s how it works at the top.” With that, he squeezed Kaoru’s shoulder. “You might want to be elsewhere tomorrow as well. I’ve heard Kyoto is nice this time of year.” He turned away, exiting the room, Die on his heels.


	19. Ink Stains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The streets of Tokyo are filled with filth and decay. Even those who walk the righteous path have a certain difficulty remembering what is honestly the right thing to do. Deep inside the underbelly of the city a lone Yakuza works his way up the food chain and toward his final goal. Doing what's right is all that Kyo will ever focus on, regardless of whether or not that happens to be on the same side as the law wants it to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta Readers: gothic_hime  
> Song[s]: Various songs by Senser

Kaoru sat aboard a train, looking for all the world incredibly lost. For one, he had Die right beside him and Kyo hadn’t been seen since the night prior. He knew the other had gone somewhere to be out of harm’s way and he was responsible for Die now… somehow. He still wasn’t certain how that had happened. He’d been leaving in the middle of the night and Die had just shown up at his apartment, a single bag over his shoulder and his eyes looking like he’d spent a good while crying.

For the past few hours, Die had said nothing at all. The only time he’d spoken had been to ask Kaoru to please take him with him and that had been the sum total of it. He’d handed over cash for his ticket once they’d arrived at the station and then taken his seat beside Kaoru, staring down at his lap, hands twisting nervously there over and over.

Kaoru finally got fed up with it, reaching and placing his hand over Die’s own. “I know you’re riled up and nervous. I am, too. But jesus… calm down.”

Die looked up at him, his eyes reflecting something that could only be called fear quite clearly. He sniffed a little and then leaned back, his eyelids fluttering closed. “How close are we?”

“Another hour at most.” Kaoru released his hands and settled back again, pursing his lips a little. “Hopefully it won’t be long.” As Kaoru spoke, his phone began to ring and he made a face, pulling it out and staring at the screen, the metro police department’s number on it. He turned the device over and pulled the battery out, putting the pieces back into his pocket and gesturing at Die. “Take the battery out of your phone. And we’re using only cash until this blows over… so I hope to god you have some way to get some or that you brought enough.”

Die didn’t speak for a long moment before finally murmuring, “He gave me plenty… enough for us both if need be.”

The remainder of the ride was done in silence, neither of them speaking a word. When they got off at their stop, Kaoru turned around and purchased another short ticket to another prefecture, deciding that it would be easier for them to stay off the grid if it was more than one stop. They boarded the train and within another half an hour, they were where Kaoru had decided they’d stay. Now no one knew where they were and that was exactly how he wanted it.

In utter silence, they went and found a convenience store and then a seedy motel to pay for an hour while Die changed his hair to his normal black and Kaoru bleached his hair to a brilliant blonde. With that part solved, they located a small bed and breakfast that didn’t seem to mind them rooming together. Die automatically slipped into the role of pretending to be Kaoru’s lover, holding his arm and standing closer than usual, giving little affectionate touches that spoke of him being more than just a travel companion… and Kaoru didn’t stop him from it, knowing it better to be perceived in such a manner than as two men randomly traveling together.

Settling in for the night, Die allowed Kaoru to do everything first, showering and then getting into bed. He took his shower while the other changed and got ready, doing so quickly so as to not disturb him and then came back out in a silk robe, nothing underneath. He settled on the side of the bed, kneeling there and peering at Kaoru. “He told me to provide you anything you need. Would you be more comfortable tonight with some relief?” His voice sounded less delicate than usual, more mechanical, his eyes seeming distant as he offered.

Kaoru stared at him for a long while and then shook his head. “Just come to bed and sleep, Die. I don’t need to use you… you’re a person just like me, not some whore. Kyo’s stupid if he told you otherwise.”

He lay down and turned away from him, closing his eyes and trying hard not to think of where Kyo was or how Shinya was fairing with this whole thing. A few minutes later he could feel Die lay down as well and he gave a slight smile, knowing at least he’d try to rest if nothing else.

\-------

Toshiya sat in the police station, discomfort written all over his body language. No one had told him not to show up to work today and along with everyone else on premises he had been taken down to the station and sat in a room to wait on his turn for interrogation. They wouldn’t give them anything, no water, no bathroom breaks, nothing. And he’d been sitting here for nearing on ten hours already.

He shifted again, the plastic seat creaking under him. He’d had to use the bathroom before he’d even left work because he hadn’t had a break yet. But now it was even worse because he had been stuck here and still had no relief. He’d long since had his hands knotted in his lap over his crotch, just hoping someone who gave a shit about humanity came into the room to get more people to take off to interrogate. Because while one of the others in the room had decided to piss in the corner, Toshiya was not going to be that person and get in trouble for that instead of whatever they were trying to pin on him that he hadn’t done.

The door opened and a tall, slim man entered the room, reading from a list of names. He heard his own called finally and he managed to get up, not daring to walk with his back entirely straight, his hands still fisted in front of himself. Coming to stand next to this man, he realized no one else was budging. Glancing around, he realized he’d been left in a room full of only low level yakuza. He was the only worker left. That made his own situation so much worse.

“Sir?” he asked quietly, trying to gain the other’s attention, though he appeared to be glaring at the room of unmoving people. Toshiya’s breath hitched as a spasm hit his bladder and he thought for a moment he was done for. “Sir?” he asked a little more urgently. “Please? I don’t mean to disturb, but… please… I need to use the restroom. It’s very urgent.”

Shinya glanced at this man, realizing he was the only one cooperating and showing some amount of compassion to people that cooperated would actually be in his best interest. “For your cooperation, you will be allowed to go.” He led him out of the room, shutting the door behind them and leading him down the hall to the bathroom. He stepped inside with him and stood by the urinal. “Don’t try anything funny or you’ll regret it.”

Toshiya, for his part, just looked relieved. He fumbled with his pants, opening them and barely getting himself out before he started to urinate into the urinal. He let out a sigh, eyelids fluttering closed as he just kept going for what felt like forever.

Shinya started to look uncomfortable after a few minutes. “How long have you been waiting in the room?” he finally asked.

The casino dealer turned his head toward the policeman and shrugged a little. “Somewhere around ten hours.”

Shinya hissed out a breath and shook his head. “Has it really been that long? I just came on shift about two hours ago.”

“Yeah…” finally the other finished up his business, tucked himself away and flushed the urinal. He traipsed over to the sink and washed his hands up real well, splashing some water on his face while he was at it. He took one towel and dried off, tossing it in the trash and then waiting on Shinya. “Thank you for allowing me to use the restroom. No one else would and I didn’t want to be slapped with an indecency charge over having to take a piss.”

“I’ll see to it that the others may use the restroom if they need it as well. It’s unfair to leave people like that. Even the prisoners may use the bathroom.” Shinya opened the door and ushered the other out and down the hallway to an interrogation room. He left him there and went to ensure someone knew to take the others one by one to the bathroom before he came back and sat down across from the other man.

“So… tell me… what is your job at the facility?”

Toshiya sat quietly, his hands on the table in front of him, still feeling the relief of having emptied his bladder. “I deal poker and Texas Hold’Em six nights a week.”

Shinya nodded a little. “Alright. How did you get the job?”

Toshiya hesitated, uncertain he was supposed to say or not. He’d never been told about such things.

“We already know it’s yakuza owned and several of the strippers have told us they’re working off debts. Basically all I’m asking is if that’s your position or if you actually work on errands for the yakuza.” Maybe it was more direct than he needed to be, more forgiving, but several of the more scared strippers had told him that this man had seemed to be friendly with Kyo and Die in the past.

Toshiya sighed and ran a hand over his hair. “I’ve been working off my debt for a long time now. I probably will be for quite a while. But I have to say… at least I’m not being treated badly and they’re actually subtracting from my debt. I’ve heard in some cases claims that they don’t.” He shrugged.

Shinya took a few notes and then leaned on the table. “What do you know of a stripper that used to be there by the name of Die?”

Toshiya looked up, studying him and then shrugged. “What do you want to know? He was sort of a friend. Talked to me on bad days and calmed me down.”

“What happened to him?”

“Last I heard, he was someone’s love slave and they purchased him. But that’s just rumor.” He didn’t know why they’d want Die, but he wasn’t about to give him up like that. The other had worked hard for him in the past, trying to do things like work off part of his debt for him and he wasn’t going to stab him in the back now.

“I see.” Shinya wrote a few more notes. “There’s also a man by the name of Kyo, real name Tooru. Do you know of him?”

“He used to gamble at my table often enough. Also heard he was a frequent customer of Die’s, but no one else.”

Shinya nodded. At least he was getting positive information, it wasn’t an outright lie and that would work in this guy’s favor in the future, he was sure. It wasn’t enough information to make his employer mad at him, but enough that the police wouldn’t call his bluff outright. “Someone else will be in to question you shortly. Would you like anything to drink? Or maybe an energy bar?” Ten hours sounded excessive to even him.

Toshiya murmured, “Water would be nice.” He could do without the food, it probably wouldn’t set well on his stomach anyway.

With that, Shinya left the room and Toshiya just sat there, hoping against all hope that Kyo and Die had been away for the day when all of this went down.


	20. Ink Stains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The streets of Tokyo are filled with filth and decay. Even those who walk the righteous path have a certain difficulty remembering what is honestly the right thing to do. Deep inside the underbelly of the city a lone Yakuza works his way up the food chain and toward his final goal. Doing what's right is all that Kyo will ever focus on, regardless of whether or not that happens to be on the same side as the law wants it to be.

Rain poured down outside, splashing against everything with a rather loud drumming sound. It was what some people called monsoon season and Die honestly enjoyed it more than he wanted to admit. It reminded him of nature’s cleansing, the way to get rid of the grime in the air, wash away the sins on the pavement, and start new again. If only it worked so well on people.

The screen door behind him creaked, slamming shut on rusty hinges just a moment later, and he knew he was no longer alone out here. The porch protested someone else’s weight on it, the railing making a slight sound as Kaoru leaned on it, peering over at the rivers of water washing down through the flowerbed.

Die glanced over at him, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. Silently, he offered his pack to the other, tapping one out when Kaoru reached for it and then passing his lighter as well. It was obvious to Die that Kaoru was uncomfortable, though he honestly had no idea why or over what. Eventually, he spoke up. “What’s bothering you?”

Kaoru lifted his gaze, looking out beyond the fence and then shaking his head. “Black car showed up about an hour ago. No one’s gotten out. Just makes me wonder… who could it be?”

Die made a little face and turned his back to the railing before speaking. “Should we go?”

Kaoru’s eyes flickered to the other man and he nodded a little. “I think we should. Make it a pretext, like we’re going out to dinner. Ditch our stuff somewhere, circle back and get it later.” He sighed and ran a hand over his eyes. He didn’t like running, but he knew it would probably come to this one day and now here he was, much too soon for his tastes. “I’m just confused why it’s not the police.”

“Because someone sees the opportunity to ruin Kyo.” Die answered simply, putting out his cigarette and then running a hand over his arm. “On the plus side, they probably only have photos of us, not actually know us. Makes it easier to get out.” He slipped back inside and put away the few things he’d unpacked the night before, knowing they were going to have to leave the money for the next night right where it was with the girl at the front desk. Getting it back was too much of a cover-blow.

Kaoru came inside a few minutes later and tossed a few things into his bag as well, taking both and wandering out into the garden area, putting them in the bushes next to the gate. Easy access and couldn’t be seen from the porch or street.

A few minutes later, they left out through the main lobby, hanging on one another and purposely giggling like a couple of teenagers. They flagged a cab and climbed in, Kaoru giving the destination as someplace downtown. The black car didn’t follow and Kaoru found he was relieved of that.

Hours passed them by and they finally found themselves in a rented vehicle, cruising back past the bed-and-breakfast, seeing if the car had gone or not. It was missing and Die took the duty of running to get their bags, slipping them into the back and getting back in as well, Kaoru leaving in a hurry after that. They took the weaving roads, Kaoru checking to see if anyone remained the same in the rearview mirror. When he was satisfied it was a whole new crowd of people, he finally headed toward the next city he was going to try to get them lost in.

It was hours later when he turned in the rental car, which Die had helpfully gotten under a fake license and name, something he should have been appalled the other had in his possession, but somehow was more thankful than anything. They found another small place to stay the night and took their bags inside, sitting down to a good meal the inn keeper insisted on feeding them given how late it was and how tired they looked. Die weaved some story of it being their anniversary and the meal ended up being on the house for them.

They settled in the room that night, both tired and already feeling the wear of being on the road for a long period of time. Die spoke up for the first time that wasn’t required in quite a while to murmur, “I miss him already. Is that sad?”

Kaoru looked up from where he had been shaving over the small pot of water and bedside mirror and shook his head a little. “You care about him. Doesn’t surprise me in the least.”

Die let out a soft hum and then flopped backwards onto the bed, silk robe riding up and revealing he still wasn’t wearing anything under it, even after being told Kaoru wasn’t going to use him for anything like that. “He’s got this soft side… this part of him that no one else sees. It makes him so very… human… in my eyes.”

The ex-cop turned to study the other man, a slight smirk on his lips. “You sound like a school girl.”

Die closed his eyes and then shrugged. “Maybe I am at heart. What can I say… he’s just that good a man.”

Kaoru got up and went to rinse his face and the bowl, coming back in patting some cologne on his cheeks as he settled on the bed next to Die. He felt like he should say something about Shinya, but the truth was, he was pretty sure they were over and done with, and he couldn’t bring himself to even check until they’d been off the grid for at least a few weeks, maybe longer. “Did he give you a way to check in?”

Die nodded. “Yeah, I have a number that goes to just a voicemail. It’s a prepaid service and was purchased with cash eons ago. No ties and no physical phone either, so… nothing to link to it. I’ll check it in a week.”

Kaoru nodded a little and lay back, reaching to flick off the lamp closest to him. “We should get some rest for now.”

Die grunted in agreement, turning off his own source of light as well and then laying back and closing his eyes.

\----------

Kyo’s heart pounded in his chest as he shifted slightly behind the stack of boxes he was crouched behind. Somehow the cops had found the place he’d chosen to hide out at. The little bed and breakfast was nestled on the outskirts of Tokyo and he’d chosen it for their discretion in how they dealt with their guests. But it seemed that despite cash-only-transactions and tattoo-concealing clothing the cops had rolled in about ten minutes ago. He’d narrowly avoided the first few, heading into the little single-car garage in the back that seemed to house only random boxes rather than a car. So far they hadn’t come back here and he hoped they’d take the empty room to mean he’d left.

He clutched his duffle bag to his side, calming down the longer no one appeared in the small garage. At long last, the blue and red flashes of cop lights finally subsided, the sound of vehicles pulling down the gravel driveway echoing through the confined space.

Almost an hour later, he finally moved, unfolding himself from his hiding place and heading for the back door. He paused there, listening for a moment, and then leaving the garage behind.

He caught a cab four blocks down, paying to have them drop him at the first train station outside Tokyo’s reach. From there, he grabbed a train to Nagoya, settling in near the back emergency door. He pulled out a new, prepaid cell phone, cracked open the package, and quickly went through the motions of getting it into service.

With his emergency charger attached, he made one call, to the number he’d given Die, inputting the code to leave a message for another party. “The dragon moves, he likes the ocean and his miso-katsu.” He hung up happy with the message and hoping Die would understand. The dragon was him, the ocean was a hint as to where he was, and the mention of one of his favorite dishes was a further hint because miso-katsu was one of the things Nagoya was most well known for.

He leaned back for the long ride, daring to close his eyes behind his sunglasses. He wouldn’t sleep, but just rest his eyes and maybe some of his mind while he was at it.

Hours later Kyo stepped off the train in Nagoya, feeing exhausted and like a huge weight was on his chest. At least it’d take a day or so for the jurisdiction to be changed for the cops, him being in a different city and all. That at least was a blessing.

He stopped by a kiosk, studying the hotels available. He chose the furthest out and picked up the phone, pressing the button labeled COMFORT. He quickly requested a shuttle and accommodations for the night and then hung up, heading for the designated pick-up area.

The shuttle arrived shortly after he got to the pick-up zone and he climbed on board, smiling to the driver and settling in the seat behind him. They made idle chit-chat for the duration of the drive and Kyo thanked him when they arrived.

He checked in under a false name, giving a cash deposit as well as payment for two nights. The room he ended up in was small, cramped almost, a desk and a bed shoved into a space only big enough for the bed. The scent of smoke lingered in the air from the previous occupant.

He dropped his duffel on the bed and made his way into the bathroom. The shower was a sprayer over the toilet and the sink had no counter space at all. He sighed softly, not used to this sort of thing. Quietly, he stripped down and opened the bar of low-quality soap, staring to wash up the grime of the garage.

Kyo’s thoughts circulated around how Die and Kaoru were doing in wherever they ended up at. He was going to have to admit to himself that Die was more than just a fuck or a passing fancy given how much he thought about him.

He sighed and got out of the shower, drying off and throwing on clean underwear and a tank top before crawling into bed. That night, Kyo’s dreams were darker than usual, filled with his own emotional turmoil. And from outside, a pair of dark eyes watched him, steady and unblinking, as he slept.


	21. Ink Stains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The streets of Tokyo are filled with filth and decay. Even those who walk the righteous path have a certain difficulty remembering what is honestly the right thing to do. Deep inside the underbelly of the city a lone Yakuza works his way up the food chain and toward his final goal. Doing what's right is all that Kyo will ever focus on, regardless of whether or not that happens to be on the same side as the law wants it to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta Readers: gothic_hime  
> Song: lsd (pornstar remix) by LIFE SHADOWS DEATH

Several days passed before Die finally checked the messages on their pre-set message service. When he did, he got the most cryptic message ever. _The dragon moves, he likes the ocean and his miso-katsu._ He eventually figured out that it probably meant Nagoya and he assumed Kyo meant himself with ‘the dragon’. When he figured it out, he told Kaoru where Kyo had gone over their morning meal.

Kaoru quietly finished his meal, finally setting aside his spoon and chopsticks, shifting on his cushion and reaching for his cigarettes and lighter, lighting up a cigarette and smoking it as he thought over the entire situation. Maybe it would be best to meet up with Kyo again. At least give him Die back in one piece if nothing else.

After a long while, he finally stood up and gestured Die with him back toward their room. “Pack your things. We’ll go and find him.”

Die didn’t question a thing, simply packing up his items and getting ready to go.

\--------------

Kyo sat in a booth at a small café, sipping a cup of watered down coffee, an expression of disdain on his face. He hated being out like this and the hated the taste of coffee rather than tea. But his options on warm drinks in this place had been limited to this and only this.

“Fancy seeing you here.” The voice had the hairs on Kyo’s arms standing straight and his back tensed, his hand slipping to his gun in the back of his pants. “Calm down. I’m not here to arrest you.”

Kyo’s eyes flicked up to see the other – far taller – man. “Shinya.” He didn’t bother with formalities, not at all pleased to see him here. He’d thought himself off the grid, but apparently he hadn’t done it well enough to hide from this man. The thought flickered through his mind that maybe it had been Kaoru that gave up his location and he filed it away as a possibility, just watching the other until he sat down. A folder landed on the table in front of him and he picked it up, arching an eyebrow at the other, wondering if he’d had a change of heart on this whole thing.

“Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m still in the force. I’m not here to arrest you, but I am here to show you why you should split ways with Kaoru.” Shinya folded his arms on the table and leaned forward. “There’s things he’s left out… things he’s not told you about with the cases you’ve been working on.”

Kyo’s brow furrowed a bit as he opened the folder and began flipping through pages, scanning their contents. His jaw took on a grim sort of set and he sighed as he closed the folder, taking it and tucking into his bag. “Anything else I should know?”

Shinya shook his head a little. “Get out of league with him… and I won’t say a word as to where you’ve gone. You can disappear and no one will ever know.”

Kyo stood up, shouldering his bag and tossing the money for the coffee on the table. “Maybe you should know, he’s already split ways with me.”

Shinya stood as well. “He hasn’t. He’s on his way to you right now and if you’re not careful, he’ll lead you some other unwanted company as well.”

“He’s not as stupid as you think.” Kyo turned away, walking out the door and away from Shinya. He’d have to move hotels tonight and leave Die another message while he thought this whole thing over.

\--------------

Hours later, Shinya sat back in his office in Tokyo, thumbing through files, feeling better about life in general. He just hoped that it would work and that Kyo would part ways with Kaoru. Then… maybe... just maybe Kaoru would come back and see that what he’d been doing was wrong. He couldn’t take justice into his hands like that. It just wasn’t right.

\--------------

It took Kaoru and Die two days to finally arrive in Nagoya, following the message Kyo had left Die to know where to meet him at. Die had been unusually on edge the entire time, not speaking much and looking sort of nervous. Kaoru wrote it off as the other not wanting to get tangled up in the police and being afraid that’s where this was all heading.

They exited the train in Nagoya, Kaoru looking like he was on top of the world. For Kyo to pretty much call them to him could only mean good things. Maybe he’d cleared things up with the cops enough to at least not have to worry about lying so low again. Whatever it was, he trusted the other’s decisions and he seemed almost carefree the entire way to the warehouse Kyo had set up for them to meet in. He’d explained on the message that it’d be out of the way and they could talk before going back out into public.

They took a bus to the general area and then headed into the warehouse district on foot, night falling around them as they made their way toward the building Kyo had described. Die trailed a bit behind him, pausing once they got to the lot around the building and fishing out his cigarettes, lighting one up, waving Kaoru to go ahead and he’d catch up in a moment.

Kaoru made his way to the large metal door on the side of the building, knocking on it twice with his knuckles. It opened and he found himself staring into darkness. For a few heartbeats there was nothing and then Kyo’s face appeared as he took one step forward. “Did you know?” Kyo asked quietly, “That there’s nothing I hate more… than a liar?” As Kyo spoke the last three words, he lashed out, grabbing Kaoru’s arm, wrenching it around and kicking his legs out from under him, the cold muzzle of a gun pressing against his temple. “Let’s see how you die.”

Kaoru’s heart beat frantically in his chest. Kyo had his other arm pinned against the door frame, the metal frame cutting into him. There was no way he was getting his gun. He found himself looking to Die, watching the other stand there at the edge of the property, his back turned, a faint breeze picking up his hair, blowing it around him. He swallowed and closed his eyes, accepting how this would end. Somewhere inside him, he’d always known this was how it would all end. He wouldn’t beg, he wouldn’t fear it, he’d just accept.

Kyo pulled the hammer back and waited, letting the moment drag on. He leaned down and whispered, “Count your sins, because surely they will count upon your soul.” He leaned back up and pulled the gun a few inches from Kaoru’s temple, pulling the trigger and watching as the other side of Kaoru’s head was blown out, splattering the doorframe with the gore.

He let go of the other, watching as he fell limp into the dirt. Calmly, he stepped back and put the gun back in its case, taking off his gloves and latching it up. He stepped over Kaoru’s body and reached into his jacket, tossing a weighted file folder on top of the other. “Someone will account for your sins.”

As Kyo passed by Die, he slid his arm around his waist, leading the slim redhead away from the scene, neither of them saying a word.


End file.
